Exploiting Hollywood 1980

The shoot went very quickly.

On this day, the heroine Xueer will finally change her hairstyle.

Loretta, played by Cher, is a dull, boring, conservative widow in the first half of the movie. She often wears all black, and her hair is a little gray and she doesn't dye it. She just wears a hairstyle common to old Italian ladies.

The clothes are also very conservative, with black as the main color, and the shoes are black boots, which don't look feminine at all.

But after a night of lovemaking with Ronnie, who was full of passion and overflowing with male hormones, her instinct as a beautiful woman awakened.

Ronnie was unwilling to let go and let Loretta and Johnny get married and stay away from each other forever.

The next morning, he expressed his thoughts and was slapped in the face by Loretta.

Ronnie, played by Nicolas Cage, still asked to continue dating Loretta, but was slapped in the face by Cher again.

"Wake up."

The passion of the moment is never worth the rational thinking of a middle-aged woman the next morning.

Loretta felt that she couldn't tell Johnny what happened, and she didn't think that Ronnie, who was much younger than her, could be her life partner. She wanted to wake him up and let this night be a sweet moment for the two of them. memories.

But Ronnie was unwilling to let go, and he proposed to invite Loretta to see Puccini's opera "La Bohème."

As long as Loretta agrees to go see it with him, she promises to let him go and attend her wedding to Johnny, as if nothing has happened.

Ronnie was confident. Watching opera is a very formal social activity for Italians, and watching opera can cause very dramatic emotional reactions. Some people are romantic by nature. After watching an opera, they will be so passionate that they will do things that are impossible to do normally.

Others do not have a strong reaction to opera, listening to it as ordinary classical music, and have no emotional reaction beyond daily life.

Italians, who have this romantic and crazy gene in their culture, tend to belong to the former.

Although Loretta knew that this was not reliable, her female intuition still made her agree.

As an Italian, going to the opera is a big deal. Loretta saw a hair salon on the road.

Immediately excited, I walked in.

This is a very interesting transformation scene. Ronald feels that in romantic love movies, there needs to be such a process, so that the less conspicuous ugly duckling becomes white with the help of friends and professionals. swan.

Because at the beginning, the audience's impression was shaped by the protagonist's makeup and dress. This transformation process not only made the actor Ronnie amazing, but more importantly, it also made the audience feel amazing.

"I have to use my own hairstylist, Ronald. And someone who does nails and makeup." After Cher arrived at the scene, she began to make many requests.

"But we need to perform here, can your hairstylist act?" Ronald was also confused about the stringent requirements of celebrities on their appearance.

You can't say that Cher's demands are too much. She has already sacrificed her image and acted ugly in the first half for the artistic effect of the movie.

This transformation does not allow her to dress up beautifully according to her own preferences, and it is a pity that she has worked so hard to ask her to be the heroine. She was originally meant to be seen by some of Cher's fans.

But her request was somewhat troublesome in operation.

This scene involves filming Loretta dyeing her hair, perming her hair, doing her nails, shaving her eyebrows, putting on makeup, and a series of other actions. Some hair and makeup processes are meant to be shown in front of the movie camera.

Cher must have a dedicated team of people to do it, so the storyboarding would be very troublesome during filming.

"In this way, I will do a close-up of you, taking only the more beautiful left half of your face. The camera will only capture three-quarters of your face, and then let your real makeup studio and hairstylist take care of it, so that they only have If your hands are in the shot, you won't ruin the shot due to nervousness.

As for other scenes, let these confirmed actors perform them. I will edit them together later. "

Cher discussed with the private team and agreed with Ronald's approach.

She first returned her hair to its original black color, and then asked her favorite personal hairstylist to start steaming her hair to restore her wavy hairstyle.

Ronald and director of photography David Watkin looked on. The two were good friends in private. They exchanged glances and went out to smoke. They also complained about the star's excessive demands.

"You are very lucky. Xueer has relatively few requirements among celebrities. I once filmed a romantic film, and the heroine had a bad attitude after she came. The director and I both thought that something big had happened to her. Did she have to do with the actors? The film producer's husband had a falling out, wanted a divorce and quit the film.

She had been in the trailer for two hours and she still hadn't found a good condition. The director and I went up to check on the situation and see if we could still shoot that day.

As a result, the female star said it was because her dog suddenly died last night..."

"That's what happened before you saw her." Ronald blew out the smoke. Cher made a scene on David Letterman's late night talk show, and even brought a A little boy who makes bagels shows up and almost pisses off a bunch of Broadway supporting actors.

"Fortunately, I refused her new boyfriend to come to Toronto through MGM, otherwise our situation would be several times more difficult than it is now."

"I have been filming in Toronto for several weeks. I feel that the filming of the film is very boring. There are only a few long shots and a few close-ups, and there are no more dramatic conflicts with other characters. Up to now, the dramatic conflicts that impress me are still exciting. Just two slaps to Nic Cage.”

In the studio, in the indoor scene of the hair salon, Cher was also chatting with Olympia Dukakis, who played her mother, complaining that director Ronald was not interested in her role.

"Furthermore, Ronald never guided my acting skills, nor did he tell me how I should act. He always let me find my own feeling. Then he would say, you did a good job, now let's try another one. Acting, do it again.”

"That's because he respects the actor's performance. After all, the role must be performed by the actor." Olympia Dukakis curled her lips. She had opinions on Cher's acting skills, and she also knew that she was only a supporting role compared to her. You should bring your personal opinions into the professional work of the crew.

Ronald is a good director who can tolerate and understand actors. After all, Xueer has not made many movies. She doesn't know how difficult it is to have such a director.

Cher's two previous films were both made with famous Hollywood directors. One of them, "The Scoundrel Affair," was directed by Michael Nichols, who had directed "The Graduate." Another "Mask" director is Peter Bogdanovich.

The two directors knew that Cher's role was a weakness in her acting skills, so they often personally guided how certain scenes should be performed. If that didn't work, they would use short shots to edit Cher's performances so that they could be watched.

But on Broadway, a play has to be performed from beginning to end, and there is no convenience of stopping and doing another one. Xueer wants to act in a play, and her acting skills still need to be trained.

As a director, Ronald is particularly good at giving actors a little room to improvise. Under the conditions that fit the situation, they can have some inspiration, and Ronald always has an encouraging attitude.

If you act according to the script and lines, you may get 80 or 90 points, but if you want to stimulate the real reaction of the opposite actor and achieve full marks, you must have a little bit of improvisation.

Actors are a group of very sensitive people. Ronald never criticizes them and always carefully protects the actors' self-confidence. Only when they feel comfortable can they have room for extraordinary performance.

Cher looked at Ronald with such rigid demands, which was a reflection of her own poor acting skills.

Real actors, like them who have been working hard on Broadway for many years, can analyze the characters themselves and come up with appropriate performance methods after receiving the script. So, do they need the director to provide specific guidance?

"They say Ronald is very powerful, but I don't see it at all." Cher had some doubts about Ronald. Can this movie really be as successful as he said?

"Did we get sidetracked? No one will watch this movie after it's released, right? I can only imagine what the critics will say..."

"No way..." Dukakis was angry when she said that he was very enjoyable in this movie, so it will definitely be good.

"A!"

When she was finally ready, a steaming white towel was placed on Cher's head. Then her personal hairstylist uncovered the towel, and her straight long hair fell down from Cher's forehead. The hairstylist parted her hair and began to style her hair.

A super close-up shot was taken of Cher's more beautiful left face. His hairstylist used a pair of tweezers to pluck out a few stray hairs one by one in the middle of Cher's eyebrows.

"Ah..." Xueer kept crying out in pain.

"Cut!"

"Very good, very good. Now let's try another act. Let's try another one."

"Oh..." Xue'er really had two eyebrows plucked and returned to the chair.

…

The filming continued, and except for Cher's role, everyone else's cooperation became more and more tacit.

Ronald knew that Cher's acting skills were insufficient compared to Dukakis and the others. She cannot be made the centerpiece of the drama.

Although she is the protagonist of the movie, she is a supporting role in the dramatic conflict. The entire family is actually centered around the role of mother Rose played by Dukakis.

But he couldn't let Cher act haphazardly, so that the scenes of her and other supporting actors would appear very abrupt. If a person with mediocre acting skills suddenly appears in a group of veteran actors, many rhythms and subtle emotions will not be matched, and the entire movie will be ruined.

Ronald had no choice but to storyboard Cher's shots individually as much as possible. Minimize scenes of her sharing the same frame with other family members. Then use editing skills to make up for it.

"You can't do this. What will you do in the last scene?" David Watkin was a little worried about Ronald's handling.

"I can't help it. With the pressure of the filming cycle, I can't stop and wait for Cher to train her acting skills. I can only use whatever I have."

This kind of treatment made Cher even more suspicious of Ronald's level. She always faced the camera alone more often. Cher felt that this shooting method was too simple.

A long shot of a walk, then a medium shot, cutting to a close-up, then a close-up of a reaction, then cutting back to an over-the-shoulder shot of dialogue.

Comparing Cher with the two great directors she has worked with, Ronald's approach seems less distinctive.

Peter Bogdanovich always quotes some classic clips from film and television to guide his acting skills. Michael Nichols is good at letting people play naturally. Where is Ronald? There are quite a few cutscenes.

"Oh..." Cher walked out of the hair salon, and two young Italian extras whistled at her. After dressing up, especially after changing into long wavy hair, high heels and a skirt, Loretta's feminine charm finally began to shine through.

…

The shooting passed day by day and finally reached the finishing stage. This is the most important group scene in the movie. All the clues are heading towards the point of no return and must be completely solved in a big family breakfast.

In this way, no trickery can be used. Cher must be together with other people and enter the frame at the same time.

The pressure on Ronald is increasing. This long breakfast table scene is the most important scene in the whole film. If it is not shot well, the film will collapse.

"A!"

"Cut, Cut...you're in the frame."

"Cut, Cut...it's not your turn to move yet."

"Cut, the recording pole is coming in"

When it came time to shoot this scene in the morning, it took several shots but nothing worked.

This scene is a showdown for everyone. The center of the drama is from Loretta confessing that she is in love with her younger brother Ronnie, to Ronnie coming to the house to meet his family, and to the grandfather forcing his father Cosmo to give money to his daughter. Have a wedding.

Then her mother Rose revealed that her father had a lover outside. Just when everyone was dealing with the conflict, Loretta's fiancé and Ronnie's brother Johnny came back from Italy.

Everyone didn't know what to say to him when Loretta didn't marry him. Johnny actually said he wanted to break off the engagement first!

The center of the drama is constantly wandering between several characters. After the actors entered the role, they acted very unrestrainedly. The original camera positions and shots were problematic and did not suit their performances.

After shooting several shots without success, Ronald decided to stop and let everyone rest for half an hour. "You guys go out first and let me think here alone."

After all the actors and crew members left the house, Ronald lowered his head and sighed, "How are we going to film this?"

This kind of group portrait scene that requires precise control of movement, as soon as Ronald shot it, he knew why directors regarded the dining table scene as the biggest challenge.

To express the tension between multiple characters in a long shot, not only does the actor make mistakes, but it also tests the director's scheduling ability.

"If it doesn't work, use a short lens to close up." David Watkin stayed in the room and said to Ronald, who looked frustrated.

"No, the overall tone of this movie is just a medium-length shot of a few seconds to ten seconds, and the climax scene at the end suddenly increases the editing rhythm, and the audience will be shocked." Ronald covered his hands with his hands. With a smile on his face, he encountered the biggest challenge in his director's career. For the first time, he didn't know how to shoot on set.

"If you want to make a good film, there is only one way." David Watkin is a British man who has seen many drama performances in London's West End.

"You have to direct the scene like a play, and let them rehearse until they are proficient before shooting. In this way, I can re-storyboard the scene according to their most comfortable position, so that there is a perfect balance between the camera and the actors. They won’t interfere with each other.”

"Rehearsal, rehearse..." Ronald muttered to himself for half a minute, "That's it!"

Ronald called everyone in and announced his decision.

Rehearse, wait until everyone's emotions are in place and their positions are familiar, and then the camera positions and storyboards will be set according to the route they are most comfortable with.

Rehearse the scene as a drama first, and then introduce cameras to shoot it after it passes the test as a drama.

…

"Wait...it's already very late today. Let's end it here and continue rehearsing tomorrow morning."

Rehearsals lasted all day, and Ronald was close to despair. He even considered Watkin's first suggestion and used the film's editing techniques to get over it.

During rehearsals, Cher was very demanding. She had worked with people like Peter Bogdanovich and Michael Nichols who had won Oscars for best directors. For Ronald, who didn’t give any performance guidance, The concept of focusing on the actor's own understanding and performance is very inappropriate.

Throughout the play, she often interrupted rehearsals and asked Ronald to "coach" her on how to act.

Ronald explained patiently, but often after rehearsals resumed, Cher stopped again and continued to ask for acting guidance.

Those Broadway character actors were also exhausted. Especially Fedor Chaliabin, who plays the old man, needs a rest at the age of eighty-one.

Ronald had no choice but to end the rehearsal.

For the first time since joining the industry, Ronald fell behind schedule when filming a movie.

…

The next morning, after the actors arrived, rehearsals continued.

Xue'er's dissatisfaction with Ronald was already evident on her face. She felt that she did not perform well, mainly because Ronald did not provide enough guidance.

The supporting cast of Broadway character actors, headed by Olympia Dukakis, supported Ronald. They felt that such a director only talks about the effect he wants to achieve, but does not determine the performance method, allowing the actors to have a certain amount of leeway. , is the best.

Stars and actors actually quarreled over whether Ronald was a good director.

Olympia Dukakis was very dissatisfied with Cher for repeatedly disrespecting Ronald. When it was close to noon, she couldn't help it anymore and directly accused Xueer:

"Even if Ronald is a rookie directing a film for the first time, as an actor, you should respect his position. What's more, he is a very talented and talented director. He is the director that actors most want to meet. Type, we are so lucky to have met him.

You can't say such bossy things to a director. "

"Hmph, do you think I haven't filmed under famous directors? Let me tell you, my first two movies were directed by Oscar-winning directors. It's not like I haven't seen good directors. And the stars in the movies are art, and this is not a Broadway theater.”

"snort……"

"snort……"

Both actresses expressed their anger, and they began to quarrel over their acting skills, professionalism, and how to respect the director.

"Won't you go up and stop him?" Director of Photography David Watkin quietly pulled Ronald.

"I don't want to stop them, there will be a fight sooner or later anyway." Ronald had already seen that the two of them had long disliked each other. This is essentially the different attitudes that actors and stars have towards the film career.

"If there is no result from today's quarrel, I won't care about the meal." Ronald couldn't stand the continuous lack of progress in rehearsals. No matter how you quarrel or talk, you must reach a consensus on the dialogue and performance of this scene before you can continue filming.

"Okay, I'll go eat first and then go to bed. When they finish arguing, you can call me again." David Watkin walked out leisurely.

Several male Broadway actors just handed water to the two female actors. On Broadway, they were used to seeing quarrels over artistic differences. Such intense exchanges were actually a good thing, if both parties focused on drama.

Nicolas Cage spoke for Ronald the day before and was suppressed by Cher. Now he is silent and just watching.

This time the two sides quarreled even more fiercely, and everyone had their own opinions on this scene.

However, the two of them seemed to show no signs of stopping, and instead seemed to be really popular.

When Cher was told that her acting skills were not good, she blurted out that Dukaski had never been in a leading role on Broadway for so many years. Meryl Streep, who entered Broadway later than her, played the leading role with Cher in the previous "Skover Affair". She is already a major actress who has been nominated for an Oscar.

Dukakis was so angry that he retorted, saying that Cher was just a has-been female singer who didn't have a deep understanding of movie shooting. All the movie needed was a good shot. After watching her scene in "The Skew Incident", she was It was cut into many short scenes. Didn’t Director Bogdanovich tell you that this was because of your poor acting skills?

Fedor Chaliapin, who plays the old man Grandpa, is severely deaf, but he can read the speaker's mouth shape.

Seeing the two women arguing more and more fiercely, he couldn't stand it anymore.

In his long career, he has seen many quarrels and even fights due to artistic differences. In this movie, everyone had a great time filming, and the two female leads got along very well, so there was no need to get to this point.

Fedor Chaliapin stood up and stretched out his hand to signal the two to stop.

No one listened to him.

Fyodor Chaliapin had no choice but to slam the table, and everyone stopped.

"Let's fight with words, not with force."

Cher and Dukakis were startled by the loud sound Fedor Chaliapin made by slamming the table. After hearing the old man's words, they both stood still and stopped quarreling.

"First Evolution"

The two of them looked at each other. They were originally discussing how to act in this scene, but for some reason, they started to argue more and more fiercely.

The eighty-year-old actor still had to listen to his words. The two sat down at the dining table and looked at each other.

The two parties who were arguing were stopped by the old man's words, and the other actors were speechless.

Suddenly, everything stopped.

Ronald suddenly felt blessed. He immediately felt that the current situation was very similar to the plot of the breakfast scene.

Everyone revealed each other's deepest secrets at this breakfast table.

Shocked that others knew their secret, each family member apologized for their past.

Then they understand each other, and the big family finally regains unity. This is how Italian big families solve family conflicts. Discuss everything at the dinner table.

There are weaknesses among family members, and they are bloodyly divided at the dinner table, but in the end, eating the food cooked by the mother together, everyone still has to trust each other and move on.

"David!"

Ronald suddenly shouted, "David, David, come on."

David Watkin ran in after hearing the news.

"Quickly... The situation is just right now. It's too late to draw storyboards. Don't waste this situation. You need to fix the camera position quickly.

light! ,recording! , scene notes!, makeup! "

Ronald shouted to everyone to come back and start filming immediately!

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