Exploiting Hollywood 1980

The story of "Moonlight" takes place in Brooklyn, New York, where security is much worse than in Manhattan.

While filming exterior scenes here, MGM submitted a report to the city hall. Two NYPDs came to the scene, wearing baggy uniforms that looked like they had not been ironed.

Compared with "Famous", which was shot on the streets of Manhattan six or seven years ago, it is obvious that the support of the city hall agencies here for the filming is much worse.

Of course, MGM will not only rely on the NYPD to ensure the safety and order of the crew. In accordance with the rules, they notified the Italian gang in Brooklyn. After watching a few scenes filmed by the crew, their little boss saw that It's a romantic comedy, and the main character Cher's makeup is old-fashioned, and her clothes don't have any feminine charm.

Soon they lost interest in the crew and only found a few minions to watch the scene.

There is neither a gangster romance like The Godfather nor a good-looking young and beautiful girl in such a movie. Italian gangsters are not interested at all.

In addition, the five major families in New York are now being severely attacked by Rudy, Attorney General of the Southern District of New York, and even the little people are wilting.

"Why do you think men should love women? Such a woman is still a widow, but someone still loves her?" A gangster muttered in a low voice. He thought the plot of this movie was very nonsense.

In Italian culture, a widow whose husband died unexpectedly is an unfortunate woman. Men mostly play with such widows and are unlikely to marry them.

"Hollywood makes all sorts of messy movies. Who wants to watch this kind of story about a middle-aged woman? I think the director is a fool. It would be better to make The Godfather, which is the most beautiful movie in the world."

"That's right, it would be great if we could get John Travolta to perform a song and dance with a beautiful woman. Now that the boss has called me to watch the show, I have nothing to brag about when I go back to my girlfriend."

…

While they were commenting on Ronald, in a department store around the corner, the crew was filming a scene in which Cher waited until her boyfriend Johnny proposed, then went to buy a drink to celebrate.

"a!"

Xue'er, who was standing on the road outside the door, was wearing a gray coat and black boots. Only her gray hair was not a gray color. At first glance, she looks like a boring accountant rather than a beautiful woman that makes people admire her.

The camera is inside the department store,

Shooting facing the door.

"Ring ring..." Xue'er opened the door and turned on the wind chime on the door. The elderly couple shopkeepers inside were still complaining to each other. The boss gets up and says "good evening" to Loretta, played by Cher.

"Don't try to get away with your nonsense. I saw the way you looked at her was wrong. What were you thinking when you looked at her at that time?" The wife of the boss was still scolding the boss relentlessly. The boss just came to him. The pretty woman who bought the wine looked at her a few more times and chatted with her a few words, which touched the nerves of the landlady.

"What do you want to buy?" The boss laughed a few times, and then continued to do business.

"Champagne." Loretta took out twenty dollars and handed it to the boss.

The boss turned around and went to the refrigerator behind him, got a bottle of cheap champagne, and was still joking with the wife of the boss, "Then what do you think I was thinking when I looked at her?"

"Like a... wolf!" the proprietress said viciously from the side.

The camera was now focused on Xue'er on the other side of the counter, with a close-up on her face.

This is the second time the crew filmed this scene. This time it was mainly about close-ups of several actors.

The supporting role of the proprietress who plays Cher's role is also a veteran Broadway supporting role. Her jealous and complaining eyes are very full.

These Broadway actors must be very satisfying to Ronald. Even when they are supporting the scene, they stand behind the camera, cooperate with the protagonist, and finish the lines they want to say for those who are being filmed in front of the camera. A reasonable reaction from the protagonist.

But even with such coordinated work, the supporting actor still performed the role meticulously. Her eyes and facial expressions clearly showed two levels. At first, it was jealousy towards the woman who had stolen her husband's attention.

Then there is dissatisfaction with her husband for ignoring her feelings.

Although her appearance has aged and her waist is already very thick, she still looks like a girl in her early twenties when she acts coquettishly in front of her husband.

Cher, who played Loretta, looked into the eyes of the actor behind the camera, and she felt the emotions conveyed by the other person very well.

Under the gaze of the camera, when Xueer heard the words "You look at her like... a wolf", she suddenly raised her head and looked towards the landlady's side seemingly indifferently.

Ronald caught the look from behind the camera and was delighted. Cher's performance is restrained and accurate. Maybe it's because she has talent in acting, maybe she and the heroine Loretta share some common emotions, or maybe there is some mysterious reason. In this scene, Cher 's performance is outstanding.

A difficult performance level in the first act of this script is why Loretta, after accepting the engagement of her boyfriend Johnny, still has a passion with his brother Ronnie.

This place requires a very subtle performance. If the performance is not good, the audience will question, why does such a middle-aged widow still act like this? They will become confused and ask themselves this question, which will draw them away from the story, which is very detrimental to the audience's attention required for a good movie to follow the plot for a long time.

Or worse, the audience accepts the plot but loses sympathy for Loretta's plight. If Loretta becomes a wanton or unclear-minded woman in the eyes of the audience, then all subsequent stories will have no foothold.

If this protagonist cannot make the audience empathize with her plight, then the entire movie will collapse.

For this reason, Ronald specially arranged this scene.

It is natural for men to love beautiful women, which is the true meaning of the boss lady's line, "You are a... wolf".

Even though the two bosses are noisy now, they must have been inseparable when they were newly married. When they looked at each other, they both had an indelible possessiveness. You can definitely see this fiery passion in the eyes of the person you love.

And this is the key that is missing between Loretta and his fiancé Johnny.

At first glance, it was naked jealousy and envy of the boss lady.

Loretta was not proposed by Johnny who could arrange the scene. But when they were having dinner together, Johnny said that his mother was seriously ill and he wanted to fly back to Italy to see her for the last time.

In the same restaurant, Perry, a university professor, was preparing to propose to his female student.

The waiters at the restaurant had prepared all kinds of tricks, including the wedding ring being served on a plate.

But Professor Perry had a big quarrel with the female student and finally broke up. The female student also poured a glass of water on the professor.

At this time, the waiters began to celebrate. If Professor Perry was not married, he would continue to eat in the restaurant.

At this time, Loretta felt something in her heart, and she quickly asked her boyfriend Johnny to propose to her on the spur of the moment.

Moreover, Johnny was not prepared in any way, and Loretta was very dissatisfied with the casual proposal. She would not agree to a proposal ceremony without even a ring.

Finally, Johnny took off the ring on his little finger and the proposal was successful.

There was nothing romantic about this experience. On the contrary, before the proposal, the two of them became just getting along with each other.

Seeing the grocery store owner, at the same age as the proprietress, and with strong jealousy and admiration, Loretta felt a desire for this kind of life.

"Like... a wolf, huh?" The boss picked up the champagne, put it into a paper bag, then wrapped it and handed it to Loretta.

This is a new change brought about by the underage drinking bill pushed by the current President and First Lady Nancy two years ago.

Acts passed by Congress do not automatically have the power to force states to implement them. But it is only under the federal positive regulations that any state that does not allow minors (under 21 years old) to drink alcohol will not receive a series of federal education funds.

Soon, New York, a relatively "progressive" state, passed state laws and began to tighten restrictions on various types of drinking. One obvious difference is that after buying alcohol, you cannot take it openly in public or leave it in the car.

It must be wrapped in a paper bag to show that you will not drink in public or while driving. So as not to cause adverse effects on minors.

"What... Wolf, you have never seen the eyes of a living wolf in your life." The boss began to tease the boss's wife. There was a joke between the old couple.

"I've seen the look in the wolf's eyes. I've seen it in every man's eyes, especially the look in your eyes just now."

Loretta took the change and put it in her purse. There was a mysterious desire in her heart that she didn't dare to tell anyone, and she also wanted to see that... wolf look in Johnny's eyes.

"Oh, do you know what I saw in my eyes?" The boss continued to tease his wife.

"What did you see?" The landlady was still a little unhappy.

"I saw the girl I married when I was newly married."

"Oh..." The boss's wife turned from anger to joy. She was very impressed by her husband's deliberately sweet words and kissed him with a smile.

Loretta saw it and laughed too, said goodbye to them, and walked out of the store.

"cut!"

Ronald watched Cher's performance on the video tape that was split out by the camera. He was quite satisfied. As for that smile, Cher could probably do better.

"You did very well, very well. Now can we switch to another method..." Ronald and Cher chatted about her acting method.

Xue'er is a star, so you can't talk to her the same way you would an actor. Because celebrities have a relatively large self-awareness, Ronald must take a roundabout way and first praise the other person's ability, and then propose another performance method that he feels is more suitable.

"I'm sorry, Ronald, today's time is up. You have extended the shooting time by half an hour. According to the Screen Actors Guild regulations, you cannot continue shooting today."

"What? Miss Xue'er didn't raise any objection. What do you want to say?"

Ronald was about to convince Cher to do it again, but the Screen Actors Guild representative suddenly appeared and rudely cited the rules and laws and demanded that today's filming end.

"This is the union's rule. If you are dissatisfied with my behavior, you can lodge a reconsideration with the New York office of the Screen Actors Guild. But now, I must say, it's time to take a break. The Screen Actors Guild is for the well-being of all registered actors. consider……

Even if the main actor agrees, you still have to take into account all the supporting characters who are playing alongside her, as well as the cameramen, sound recordists, lighting engineers, etc. who are also working under difficult conditions. If you don't stop filming, I will come next time with representatives from their union. "

Upon hearing the threat from the union representative, many staff members of the camera crew, recording crew, and lighting crew immediately began to pack up their equipment.

"Moonlight" is an MGM project and has been officially registered with all major labor unions.

New York is also a city with the strongest unions in the film and television industry, and they cannot afford to offend these professional union leaders.

They are not real actors, nor are they employees in the film and television industry, but off-duty professionals who specialize in union affairs. The major Hollywood film crews dare not offend them.

Ronald felt helpless. One or two more shots of this shot would have achieved the best effect. But once it is interrupted, tomorrow or later, when filming resumes, the actor will have to find his state again. There is a certain possibility that the actor will never be able to find a similar good state again.

In addition, this scene is in the evening, and the reshoots tomorrow will have to be shot in the evening. There are only a few shooting hours before the off-duty time stipulated by the union, so there is not enough time.

This is not a nine-to-five office clerk type job. This is film production. Is it necessary to strictly adopt this nine-to-five eight-hour work system?

Ronald looked at another wasted day and felt indignant.

"You've been in New York for a long time. When they shoot studio scenes, do the union staff also accurately check the time like this?" Ronald asked his director of photography, David Watkin.

"It's true. There are too many Broadway actors in New York. When auditioning for many roles, there are often more than a hundred actors trying for one vacancy. If it weren't for the strict protection of the union, they would be at a disadvantage. So New York has always been the most powerful actor's union. One of the two most powerful cities.

You can't escape the keen sense of smell of these union workers in your Long Island studio. "

"This is not fucking okay," Ronald thought to himself. His two long shots, especially the ending scene at the dinner table, obviously required long hours of rehearsals and reshoots.

It takes a long time for the actors to try and collide before they can overcome this most challenging moment of the film.

If the union staff stopped the work just when the actor was finding his groove, Ronald would be on the verge of tears.

"I have to have a meeting with the top management of MGM. I have to move the indoor scenes in the later stages to a place where the union is not strong."

In the evening, Ronald found Weintraub's subordinate at MGM, an executive in charge of the production business, and made his request.

"There are only two suitable places. One is Virginia or New Jersey. The appearance of the buildings there is in the old-fashioned neoclassical style like New York, which will not conflict with each other. The union power in these two states is also relatively weak.

The other is Toronto, Canada. The street scene there is very similar to that of America, and the interior style of the houses is also similar to New York. Nowadays, many contemporary dramas are filmed in Toronto or Montreal in Canada by the seven major studios.

Moreover, after the union learned that you were not filming in a studio in New York, they might not have thought at the first moment that you had gone to your northern neighbor. "

"You take care of this for me, okay?"

When Ronald heard this, since there was such a good place, why not go there quickly? Anyway, after adding in shipping costs, hotel fees, and the cost of re-building the scenery in the studio, all the money is not as good as the cost savings of being able to work overtime at will.

After all, in the film shooting industry, the most important thing is to follow the schedule. Not shooting according to the plan is the biggest black hole of wasting budget.

MGM was still very supportive of the film, and quickly flew the set team and materials to Toronto. They rented a large studio there and began to build Loretta's big house. Her fiancé's brother Ronnie's apartment on the second floor of the bakery, and several other interior scenes.

It is estimated that it will take three weeks to build all the sets. In fact, they are very happy. Now everyone in the industry knows that shooting studio scenes in Toronto can basically save 20 to 30% of the time because they can work overtime.

This time saving has brought about a significant reduction in personnel wages and equipment rentals. In comparison, some shipping costs and the increased cost of new scenery can only be regarded as small sums.

The timing was just right. By the time the scenery was completed, Ronald could basically complete the outdoor shooting in New York, and then move to Toronto with the rest of the crew after the Christmas holidays.

…

Until then, filming continues in various street scenes in New York.

What was shot today was a scene at Loretta's house.

Loretta brought champagne home from the grocery store to share the good news with her family.

But when she got home, she found that everyone had their own troubles and no one seemed happy for her to get married again.

The first thing I saw was the old man on the wooden stairs on the second floor.

Fedor Chaliapin's old eyes are a little cloudy, which just happens to show the image of a somewhat old and confused grandfather in the camera.

He saw Loretta, played by Cher, coming home. He didn't say anything to her, but instead yelled at the dogs behind her.

After a while, they all rushed around Loretta, rushed up the stairs, and went to the room with the old man.

"cut!"

Ronald never interfered in Fedor Chaliabin's performance. He knew the best way to perform a scene without any suggestions of his own.

If he hadn't been so deaf, Ronald would have actually wanted to discuss some difficult scenes with him.

But sometimes the old man was so deaf that it took him several times to roughly understand Ronald's problem, so Ronald gave up on this idea. As long as Fedor Chaliapin could play his role well, there would be no need for him. Ask for anything extra.

"It's really strange. When he plays with Cher or Olympia Dukaski, he doesn't seem to be deaf at all. When he talks to me, he has to put in a lot of effort."

Ronald saw a real-time black and white video on the small monitor behind the camera. This is the result of playing back the previous one on the video recorder.

Ronald's muttering was still heard by director of photography David Watkin.

"These actors have magical powers. Once you call "a", they seem to have a sixth sense and can sense every move of the opposite actor." David Watkin has always been filming such antagonistic scenes that test his acting skills. Photographer, he gave Ronald an answer that wasn't an answer.

"Well, that's right," Ronald scratched his head, "but he must have some secret."

…

The camera moved to the second floor. Vincent Gardenia, who plays the father Cosmo, was wearing vertical striped pajamas and thick glasses. He was sitting on a lounge chair in the corner, listening to old songs on the record. .

"At this moment, the phone rang and I jumped up

When I grabbed the phone, I prayed

let it be him oh dear god

It has to be him or I'll die

Otherwise I will die."

"Dad, why are you sleeping here? Where is mom?"

Loretta entered the scene, sitting next to her father Cosmo, and asked a question that woke up Cosmo who was listening to Vicki Carr's old song "It Must Be Him".

"I can't sleep. I might be dying. I can't even sleep."

"Dad, I have news to announce."

"Okay! Let's go to the kitchen." Cosmo looked shocked. The last time his daughter said there was news, her ex-husband had a traffic accident. "

Loretta opened the champagne and poured two glasses. Cosmo placed a sugar cube in each cup, waited for the bubbles to rise, and clinked the glasses with his daughter.

"I'm getting married." Seeing that the atmosphere was suitable, Loretta announced the good news.

"Again?" Cosmo seemed more frightened.

"yes!"

"Haven't you been married before? It didn't work out."

"That's because my husband died."

"What killed him?"

"He was hit by a bus." Loretta imagined her father's reaction after being knocked down, so she acted calmly.

"No! He wasn't hit by a car, he was just unlucky." Cosmo waved his hands excitedly, with his palms facing up and his fingers together.

"Your mother and I have been married for fifty-two years, and no one has died. What about you? My husband died after two years of marriage. You are not suitable for marriage, so don't get married."

"Who are you going to marry?" Seeing his daughter's insistence, Cosmo found another reason.

"Johnny, Johnny Camarelli" Loretta said her fiancé's name.

"Johnny? Johnny!" Father Cosmo was excited, "He is still a child himself. By the way, why didn't he come to tell me about your incident?"

"Because his mother is dying and he wants to see her in Sicily." Loretta was also anxious, and her father Cosmo wanted to shirk and not pay for the wedding. She spoke faster, raised her hands, and made gestures with her fingers together.

"Look...look...it's bad luck again, you are not suitable for marriage!"

"You have to organize a wedding for me and get me married. You didn't get me married last time. If you had, maybe I wouldn't have such bad luck. And Johnny even knelt down to propose."

"He knelt down? Where's the ring?" Father Cosmo was still looking for something irregular. He didn't want his daughter to get married. Americans, especially Italians, are responsible for all expenses of their married daughter's wedding.

This is also a huge expense for middle-class families. What's more, Cosmo, who relies on his cleverness to start a small hardware business.

"Yes, look, this is the ring?"

"Is this an engagement ring? This is a tail ring worn by Italian men. It's a toy!"

"This is temporary! He will change it to a better one when he comes back!"

"Temporary, everything in the world is temporary, including marriage."

"snort!"

"Hmph! Go talk to your mother."

The father and daughter broke up unhappy.

"cut!"

Ronald stopped the filming. The two actors had rehearsed this scene for a long time, speaking the lines quickly and urgently, and full of emotion.

It's like two fish chasing each other's tail. After one person finishes a sentence, without waiting for a pause, the other person immediately catches up and blocks the other person's words.

Thanks to Shanley's wonderfully written script, the two actors, Cher and Vincent Gardenia, did not rely solely on rehearsals to connect with this demanding rhythm.

The two of them fully entered their roles and relied on human instinct to perform this scene.

Of course, the basis of the rivalry play is Vincent Gardenia, who has won the highest award for American drama. He can adjust Cher's slightly inaccurate rhythm every time with his own lines and actions, and then quickly Return it comfortably, making it easy for Cher to pick it up.

…

After another two hours, the camera came to the bedroom. The lighting team completed the simulation of fluorescent lamps.

"a!"

"Rose, Rose...Rose..."

Cosmo called his wife's name and entered the bedroom with his daughter.

"Who is dead?" Loretta's mother woke up from her sleep, and her first reaction was that someone was dead.

Olympia Dukakis turned on the bedside table lamp. The lighting unit rested on a component and paused for half a second, giving the audience a sense of the time lag between the switch and the light on.

Although there is no time difference between switches and lights in daily life, audiences are more accustomed to this routine when watching movies.

"No one dies, Loretta is getting married."

"Again?" Rose was also surprised, and then she asked, "Johnny? Johnny Camarelli?"

A mother does know her daughter better than a father does.

"Do you love him?"

"do not love."

"Oh, that's good. If you love him, he will keep torturing you because he knows they can." With that, Olympia Dukakis, who plays Rose, glanced at Cosmo from behind. Played by Vincent Gardenia.

"Tsk..." Ronald looked behind the camera.

Olympia Dukakis' rhythm is more perfect than Vincent Gardenia's.

She talks to her daughter in bed and makes puns about her husband, Cosmo. It is many times more difficult to maintain the rhythm in a conversation scene with three people than in a scene with two people.

Olympia Dukakis distributed the attention between her husband and daughter very well, and suddenly all the audience's attention was focused on herself.

This ability to steal the show without realizing it is quite good. And Cher, who plays the daughter, will not be unhappy because of such a scene-stealing.

The better Olympia Dukakis' reaction is, the stronger Xue'er's reaction will be later. This reaction is naturally brought up by Dukakis.

"So do you like him?" Mother Rose asked Loretta a second question.

"I like him, he's a very sweet guy."

Mother Rose showed a happy smile. It's really nice to have a son-in-law who likes his daughter more than his own daughter likes him.

"This time, I want to get married in the church, and I want to have a formal wedding banquet." Loretta stated her request in front of her mother.

"Ha, then who will pay for it?" Olympia Dukakis' eyelids slightly raised, and her attention was immediately directed to her husband Cosmo who was in the background.

"This kind of effortless performance can mobilize the audience in the blink of an eye. It's really good." Ronald became more and more satisfied with the casting of Julia Taylor.

The better the casting is, the easier it will be to provide acting guidance when filming starts.

"Dad wants to pay for his daughter's wedding."

"I won't pay, I have no money." Cosmo quit and left immediately, fleeing from the scene.

"It's not that you don't have money, you're just stingy. You have more money than Commander-in-Chief Roosevelt, but you can't say a word about it." Mother Rose also complained about her husband.

"This is the father's responsibility. The father pays for his daughter's wedding."

Cosmo's people had fled to the stairs, "I don't have any money, I won't give it out."

"I did everything I told myself I should do.

I told myself, don't be a fool

Have fun on the court

It’s easy when you’re being cool”

The old song started playing again.

This is the recording team playing the recording outside the wall.

"He went to listen to that damn Vicki Carr song again, and he didn't even touch my face when he got into bed."

Olympia Dukakis made a gesture of spreading his hands on the bed to express his dissatisfaction.

This is what Rose just said. Rose loved Cosmo so much that Cosmo could make her angry. If she had married someone she didn't love, she wouldn't have been in such trouble.

"cut!"

Ronald's scenes of these veteran Broadway actors are all very simple. They respect the director and the script, never modify their lines themselves, and memorize all their lines before coming to the crew.

Ronald had read their script, and the lines were filled with context, accents, and rhythmic symbols.

With the support of these backbone actors, the filming is getting better.

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