Exploiting Hollywood 1980

Exploiting Hollywood 1980 Text Volume Chapter 56 Gorilla and Little Hare The next day, the crew started filming in a rented office in the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. This was originally the office of a small stock brokerage company. After the stock market crash, the bankrupt company ran away, leaving behind many desks, chairs, stationery, and a row of electronic tickers on the wall - which can provide uninterrupted real-time quotes for Wall Street stocks. .

Tess's workstation is facing the camera, and separated from her by a partition is a fat actor, Oliver Platt, facing the camera. Such a clown-like character was discovered by Ronald after watching Jonathan Demme's "Married to the Gang".

He looks like the kind of bad guy who hangs out with the rugby players in middle school and bullies female classmates.

"All departments are in place, cameras?" Ronald hid on the side of the desk, away from an aisle. There was a long guide rail here, waiting to follow Tess into the company.

"Camera full speed!"

"recording?"

"The recording is ready"

"!"

The coat, makeup, and hairstyle worn by Melanie Griffiths were all restored exactly as they were taken yesterday. Only the leather trench coat, which was obviously too big, was left on the clothes hanging by the door as usual and was not worn.

Tess was wearing a black turtleneck sweater, and a beige coat on top. The collar was so exaggerated that it invaded the other half of her territory. The shoulder pads were obviously two inches high, and they were marked by a cheap backpack.

This outfit is the power attire often seen by women in Wall Street workplaces. If you only look at the upper body, it looks very similar to a man's suit with large shoulder pads. The turtleneck sweater especially dilutes the female characteristics, so that when she sits down to talk to you, you will not feel the difference in personality. Just like the male peacock, use Dress in plus sizes to scare competitors.

But her lower body is a short skirt three inches above the knee, paired with black patterned stockings. This combination allows her to stand up and show off her feminine charm when greeting customers.

The camera followed her quick steps on the rails and filmed from the side. There are many TV sets, computer monitors, and office equipment with documents in the foreground and background. In a few seconds, the company where Tess works is quickly sketched out as a very dynamic and busy company.

"Morning, morning..." Melanie Griffiths greeted everyone along the way, and finally passed behind the manager Lutz, the character played by the fat man Oliver Platt, and sat down at the edge of the large office area. a location.

This place is the secretary's position, the director of Tess's service department, and Lutz, as the manager, sits with her, which fully shows that this is a small company and the office space is tight.

These are information that viewers who work in big cities in America can understand immediately. The crew's setting is excellent, and what Ronald wants to express is very completely and accurately expressed. At the beginning, Ronald had to explain the background of the story and the personalities of the characters, so that one shot could show them all. This was unique to large-scale production crews and the result of the joint efforts of professional departments.

The camera continued to move, bypassing the office area, and stopped at a fixed point at the side and rear, just in time to capture Tess changing her shoes.

She picked up the phone and said, "This is Mr. Turco's number. Who is it?" Melanie Griffith held the phone between her legs and asked who the other party was. She took off her long cotton socks and took them out. Put on high heels under the table.

The little fat guy opposite Oliver Platt started to make an exaggerated expression, put his nose between his hands, and then started to fan, saying that his shoes smelled bad.

Tess ignored the bullying in the office, "Please wait a moment, don't hang up, I'm going to find Mr. Teco." Then she got up and went to find her constipated boss, Teco, who had to go to the pit every morning. gentlemen.

"Cut!

Ronald looked at the director of photography, who nodded to indicate that the camera was fine.

"Very good, this print."

Following Ronald's order, all the extras and technical staff at the scene began to applaud. This play is a large-scale production, so all the extras have been selected by Julia Taylor and her assistants, and they are all actors who can act.

The biggest fear in a big production like this is that the lead actor is very good, but something goes wrong with the extras. It's a great drama when the camera is focused on the protagonists, but the next one-second shot of a few extras can be a drama.

This is the difference between big-budget movies and B-level movies. These extras never looked at the camera during the process, and they all had basic acting skills. During such a long shot, they were all busy doing their own thing, just like a real securities brokerage company.

Ronald praised everyone's performance and took another photo a few minutes later just to be on the safe side. Walter Murch, who was nearby, told him that the edited material was enough.

Ronald turned to call the recorder, and the little girl said loudly, "Working Girl, Act 3, Scene 4."

The film was a commercial production, and Harrison Ford had a tight schedule, so it was impossible to follow the script. To save time and money, Ronald skipped and shot the next scene.

"!"

After Tess went to the bathroom to talk to her boss, she ran back to the office and bumped into an extra on the way. Her reaction was very natural. When she came back to her desk, she told the customer on the phone, "Your promissory note from Shantitko is $18. He will call you when he comes back."

"Cut!"

The filming went very smoothly, and this plot will be familiar to those who have bought stocks. Tess's boss persuaded his customers to buy the stock of this single company, saying it would rise, but the stock fell instead, and his customers called every day to ask about the situation.

This price is also the reason why Tess’s charismatic boss has been suffering from constipation every day recently and has to squat at work.

The company that Tess works for is, to put it bluntly, a broker. They call various wealthy people to promote the company's "exclusive inside information" and persuade them to buy the original stocks they recommend that have not yet been listed. Even more aggressive directors, such as Tess's boss, will persuade customers to use leverage and use Purchase at a premium price.

In the real Wall Street, a large number of these radicals liquidated their positions after the stock market crash last year. Many such brokers at the director level went bankrupt. The office rented by the previous company for the filming location was exactly the same.

A few more shots were shot, and it was time for the last shot before noon.

"Titco closed at 17.8, which is down again. It is expected to go sideways next Monday." Tess looked at the closing stock price and said to the fat Lutz sitting opposite.

"How much did your boss tell the customer the price would be increased?" Lutz answered casually. He and a colleague next to him regarded secretaries like Tess as brainless blonde beauties.

"He said it would increase after it is launched. The launch price is $23, but the company only has one product, a mouthwash that removes dental plaque. You know, the kind that you take a mouthful of and spit it out. No one will use that product all the time. …”

Griffiths shrugged, which meant that this product was not like toothpaste or shaving gel that had to be used all the time. After using the anti-freckle mouthwash for a period of time, no matter whether it is effective or not, consumers will not buy it again.

This dialogue shows that although Tess is a secretary, her professional skills are undoubtedly qualified to be a manager. The biggest weakness of the product represented by the stock is immediately apparent.

"Maybe..." Oliver Platt, the actor of Little Fatty Lutz, and his companions stood up and put on their suits, and began the action in which the company's male managers never tire of wooing each other's secretaries.

"Before we go to dinner, I have to tell you good news and bad news. The bad news is that the promotion rotation plan you applied for was rejected."

"Why?" Tess was suddenly discouraged, and her shoulders sank. She has applied for this program many times. Secretaries and recent college graduates can participate. If selected, they can enter the company's fast track. After one year of internship on the job, they can be promoted to become a real manager.

"We have tried our best, but Tess, you are competing for an undergraduate degree from Harvard and an MBA from Wharton, and you only have a night school diploma..."

This is indeed the biggest and most invisible gap in the American workplace. What kind of work people do is related to their class of origin. Rich kids can go to good private universities and get on the fast track.

Children from poor families like Tess can only go to public high schools and cannot apply for good universities. In order to support themselves, they have to find a job. By the time Tess used her rest and night time to get a college diploma, she was already thirty. How can you compete with those who graduated from Harvard and Wharton in their twenties?

"What about the good news?" Melanie Griffiths is indeed a talented actor, and she grasps the emotions at this time very well. This news was a big blow to Tess. This promotion rotation plan has an upper age limit. Generally, those over thirty are not eligible to participate.

But Tess is a person who never gives up. Although she was so disappointed that her body was shaking a little, she still didn't give up hope. Didn't the little fat Lutz say there is still good news? "

"I know a friend who works in the arbitrage department. He is very hungry and is looking for someone who is hungrier than him. He is currently short of an assistant. He wants to meet you and have a drink first."

"Isn't this another trap?" Tess had obviously been deceived before. The so-called job opportunities were all fake, made up for the sake of the manager's lust.

"Do you think I look like a pimp?" Lutz asked his colleague.

The actor nodded.

"Hahaha..." The two burst into laughter.

"Bob said to find a hungry man, so I thought of you, and you decide the rest." Melanie Griffith's eyes flashed with a glimmer of light, this was her last chance.

"Bob from the Arbitrage Department?" Tess decided to give it a try.

"Bob Speck, from the arbitrage department, this is the phone extension." The two male managers stood up.

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you."

A group of female secretaries came over with several balloons to sing happy birthday to Tess.

Within the company, blue-collar workers always play with blue-collar workers. They take care of each other, share any difficulties, and share gossip. Tess looked at them. Although she wanted to get out of this circle, there were still these secretaries in the company, they were ordinary people with good intentions.

"Cut!"

Ronald was very satisfied with today's progress. Melanie Griffiths did not bring the script to the filming set. She completely understood the role of Tess and knew all the lines by heart. When she needed to improvise, she also Can handle it well.

A good actor doesn't just stand out for himself, he always uses his own reactions to bring other actors into the spotlight.

After a few more reaction shots, the shooting of today’s scene was completed.

The actors went to dinner, and Ronald nibbled on two chicken sandwiches and drank a cup of coffee. He also has to wait for his old friend Roger Corman, who will make a guest appearance in the afternoon.

"Ronald, I'm so glad you asked me to come. What role will I play this time?"

Roger Corman and Ronald co-production "Ecstasy" has been filmed and is in post-production and test screenings. He now regards guest appearances in familiar movies as his greatest pleasure.

"He's the director of a Wall Street investment company." Ronald smiled and led him to the shooting location.

"Oh oh oh, what's going on, Ronald, what scene are you going to film?"

When Coleman saw that the filming location was actually a restroom in the company, he immediately protested. Last time he was a naval officer, how come this time it looks like a B-level horror movie made by himself?

"How about you play the passerby, and you have a face-showing scene, and no lines." Ronald handed him the script.

This is the scene where Tess goes into the bathroom to find her constipated boss. His boss was in the bathroom partition throughout the entire scene, with only his voice heard, and his profile was only revealed at the end. Roger Corman was good at playing such comedic roles, so Ronald asked him to guest star.

"I'll just play a passerby. I'll have a frontal shot."

"Okay, do we have any suitable extras?" Ronald asked the assistant next to him if there was anyone suitable to play the character who was constipated in the partition.

"No, we are not looking for a handsome person. Tess's boss is a broker. He must be handsome in order to get clients to pay. Melanie's new boyfriend will do it." The casting assistant is Julia. ·Taylor's apprentice makes sense.

"What should I do? This scene cannot be postponed. We have to shoot another scene with this scene tomorrow. I don't have time to find anyone else."

Roger Coleman was very moved when he heard that he wanted to be handsome and unrestrained. However, when he looked at the script, he found that the content was too abrupt and did not match the appearance of his university teacher. He would definitely not perform well, so he kept silent.

"How about, how about you do it yourself?" The casting assistant thought Ronald looked qualified.

"Yeah, Ronald, you definitely have the image to be a sales manager on Wall Street." Roger Coleman also supported him, "I can shout for you."

"Okay, that's it, makeup artist?"

Half an hour later, Ronald had put on his suit, had a fashionable hairstyle, and squatted in the partitioned toilet room.

Melanie Griffiths came back from dinner and burst out laughing when she saw that it was Ronald acting opposite her.

"Mr. Coleman can shout." Ronald explained to everyone that he could only hear his voice in this scene but not see his person, which was considered an alternative performance.

"Dong dong..." Griffith knocked on the door of the men's bathroom, then walked in while holding on to the wall. She was so shy and scared that she didn't dare to look inside, so she had to shout "Mr. Teko, Mr. Teko?"

"Hmm..." Ronald gave a low reply.

Roger Corman plays a senior director peeing on the other side, and when he peeks his head in, he reveals a sanctimonious face.

When Melanie Griffith saw someone looking at her, she quickly turned her face away and put her arms up to cover others' sight.

"The customer is very anxious. He bought the promissory note of the original stock..."

"Can't you just let him wait for a minute?" Ronald's voice came out from the partition with a reverberation effect.

"He was very anxious. He bought a promissory note. Such a customer doesn't want to talk to a secretary." Melanie Griffith covered her face with her arms, feeling extremely shy. Roger Corman's character washed his hands in front of her, dried them and walked out.

Although it is a very busy company and the employees are very hard-working, it is still very hard to rush to the bathroom to talk about work so hard.

"Can you go answer his phone?" Tess asked the boss Turko outside.

"I don't have any paper..."

"What?" Tess couldn't understand.

"There's no fucking paper here," Turco, the manager played by Ronald, reveals his profile from above the partition and yells to Tess, "Bring me some!"

Tess, played by Melanie Griffiths, is even more embarrassed. She handles it well and is stunned for a second when she hears this rude request. After thinking for a while, I went to get a bucket of rolling paper from under the sink, ran to the partition, and stretched it into the gap under the door.

Ronald's hand reached out from below and grabbed it.

Melanie Griffiths put on a look of relief and fled quickly.

"Thank you for your help! You're so kind..." Ronald was still saying thanks.

"Cut!"

Roger Coleman called a halt outside, and everyone came in from outside the bathroom and started clapping. Melanie Griffiths's performance fits the character perfectly, a tough office girl who works hard in the company, but also has gentle feminine qualities.

"Bravo!" Sigourney Weaver also came at noon. Although her turn had not yet come, she had been thinking about what Ronald meant by giving her a gorilla doll for the past few days. Just come and watch the show and get some inspiration.

Many great directors have this habit of not telling everything clearly and letting the actors figure it out on their own. Sigourney Weaver thought Ronald was such a director.

Ronald watched the black-and-white image recorded on the monitor. Griffiths acted very well, expressing Tess's temperament vividly. It would be better not to reshoot this kind of scene. He also felt embarrassed.

After announcing this, Ronald was very satisfied with Melanie Griffith's performance and decided to give her a reward. He walked to the props, took a small hare doll that he would use later, and handed it to Griffiths.

"This is a prize for you, for your performance."

"Thank you, thank you." Melanie Griffiths, like many actresses, couldn't walk when she saw this cute little doll.

It just so happened that Tess also placed a stuffed rabbit on the table during the play.

"I understand..." Seeing this scene, Sigourney Weaver finally figured out Ronald's intention.

Tess is a blue-collar worker. She is like a little rabbit at heart, sensitive and easily frustrated and frightened. The bunny doll is also very small, which shows Tess's status in the company and she is bullied by everyone.

The gorilla doll Ronald gave himself was as big as a person. And it is based on the image in the movie "King Kong". In the movie King Kong, the gorilla holds a girl.

In the script, when Catherine got off the plane, she played with the King Kong doll in her hand. This is a metaphor that shows that Catherine is like a smart woman playing with a gorilla at heart.

The gorilla is the image of a male executive in a company. They are all so huge and stupid.

"Thank you for your gorilla doll, which made me understand Catherine's inner world." Sigourney Weaver suddenly said out of nowhere.

"Ah...that, you just like it." Ronald thought to himself that Weaver had just returned from Kenya where he filmed a gorilla movie, so he gave her a doll to make her happy, and it seemed to have a good effect.

The rest of the shooting went smoothly and ended at 6pm. Ronald was greeting the volunteer pickets of the Writers Guild when Ricky Lake, the lead actress from the "Hairspray" crew, suddenly ran in, hugged Ronald and burst into tears.

"Who is this? She doesn't have a pass from your crew. Is she a screenwriter?..." The pickets came over and asked.

"No, this is an actor, the heroine of my production company's new film. Haven't you seen it?" Ronald replied angrily.

"Divine, Divine, he's dead."

"What? What did you say?" Ronald was shocked. Did he hear it wrong? Divine, the Drag Queen whom I just had dinner with, is actually dead?