Exploiting Hollywood 1980

"This is Paramount's studio, and many scenes of The Godfather were filmed here." Polly Platt, the film's art director, took Ronald to visit the studio that was decorated according to the design principles she set. .

"There will be many indoor scenes here, including the bank where Sam works, the studio of the psychic Odme, etc. This is the schematic diagram I drew, Jane, Jane?"

Polly Platt called back to her assistant-turned-reliable set designer Jane Maersk.

"Here, hello, director... thank you very much..." Jane Maersk is a blond woman, not as pretty as an actress, but she looks like she has a showy temperament.

She has been working as a production designer in various film and television dramas since 1982, and Polly Platt was quite satisfied with her work ability. Many of my thoughts can be turned into satisfactory scenery in Jane's hands.

"I should be thanking you. I saw the set of the backstreet alley where Sam met the killer, and it was exactly as I imagined. I have been making movies for many years, and to be honest, I appreciate your capable art design. .”

Ronald is now also very famous in the industry, and many people can serve him, which is a strong addition to his resume. Jane Maersk came up and took his hand and shook it desperately. Ronald felt the gratitude of the other person.

So he also expressed his comfort. These people are precious human assets during the filming of the film. Only by making them feel good can we work together to create a masterpiece.

"Hey, that's not what she's thanking you for. It's because you let her husband star as a villain so that she can see her husband every day." Polly revealed the mystery next to her.

"Oh, your husband is Tony?" Ronald saw Jane nodding shyly and smiled slightly. As a person who is mainly responsible for the artistic unification of the scenery, Jane's job has no direct contact with the actors, so it is not harmful for the husband and wife to work on the same crew. He can absolutely accomplish it.

If you are a hairstylist or makeup artist shared by the crew, you are absolutely not allowed to have an affair with an actor on the crew. Otherwise, all kinds of messy things will happen one after another. Especially for actresses, there are close-ups. A makeup artist and a hairstylist shaking their hands can be the difference between heaven and hell.

This is also the reason why many makeup artists and hairstylists are people with special orientations. The income of these two industries is not high, but the importance is very high. Many actresses without money are willing to compensate them in other ways.

Speaking of the hairstylist, Ronald turned to Polly and asked, "Where's John Sahag? Is he from Manhattan?"

"Here, here, how many years have we not seen each other? Ronald. Seven or eight years?"

A man who looked a bit like a rock star, with unruly long hair and a black open-collar shirt, stepped forward and hugged Ronald in style.

"More than eight years, long time no see. Demi said that she went to Madison Street in New York to have her hair cut by a hairstylist. I was wondering if it was you."

"Ha, that boy's hair took me a lot of thought. I was still a little-known hairstylist in a hair salon back then. If you hadn't brought me into the industry, I would be styling Brooke Shields' hair in a CK jeans commercial... The fashion industry is really It was changing very quickly, and long, feminine hair was still popular at that time..."

"Hmm..." Thinking of Brooke Shields, whom he hadn't seen for a long time, Ronald was a little lost in thought. She had previously filmed a lot of Japanese commercials that Ronald introduced her to. After making a little money, her mother invested in the movie "Brenda Starr" adapted from the comic book.

This movie was actually filmed as early as 1987, but has never been released. The rights eventually found their way to New World Pictures, founded by Roger Corman and now run by three copyright lawyers.

The movie also casts the current 007 actor, Timothy Dalton, as the male protagonist. I wanted to play the star card, but it was claimed that the filming cost a total of 15 million US dollars, and what came out in the end was a bunch of crappy stuff.

The management of New World Pictures is also very difficult. This movie starring Brooke Shields has become their last life-saving straw. They have been delaying its release. They hope to modify and shoot some more, and then sell a good movie. price to save the company.

Because they were selling distribution rights in the market, Ronald also heard about it. He specially asked Niceta to bring some samples to look at, but the shooting was really bad, and he couldn't find a way to help...

"Ronald, what do you think of Demi Moore's new hairstyle? Can I become the most famous hairstylist in Manhattan?" John Sahag looked at Ronald, who was his noble man.

"Not only is it the best in Manhattan, it is very likely to be the best in the United States..." Ronald upgraded the title with a smile. The best in Manhattan is often the best in New York, and the best in New York is very likely to be the best in the United States, at least. It's the East Coast.

"Ahahaha, I just want it to be on the East Coast, and the West Coast should be left to Molly Ringwald's hairstylist."

Ronald laughed when he heard this. Molly Ringwald's hairstylist created the short red hair for her, which became the haircut requested by girls across the United States two years ago. In the end, the hairstylist charged $2,000 for a haircut. John Sahag also had this idea. The hairstyle of female stars in movies has always been a popular topic.

"John, you're here." Demi Moore happened to come to the studio, saw John Sahag, and quickly stepped forward to say hello.

When she only earned hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, she dared to spend hundreds of dollars to let John Sahag cut her hair. Now her salary has increased, and she has married some of the highest-paid male stars in Hollywood, and even brought John Sahag to her. Sahag hired Hollywood to cut her hair. Once a week during the shoot, be sure to keep the same hairstyle.

John Sahag gave Demi Moore a trim and was about to return to New York. The money for flying to serve customers was paid by Ronald's crew and was a normal expense.

"How about that artist in Manhattan? Did you agree?"

Ronald asked Polly Platt.

"Michelle Oca Dorner, she didn't allow us to use her studio because she was afraid of damaging her home. But she heard that you were the director, so she gave us the studio decoration drawings for free. I Planning to find a place to replicate a studio in lower Manhattan..."

Some New York locations require on-site filming. Coupled with the fact that Molly's home and studio also had several shots of hanging sculptures from the windows, it was necessary to shoot them on location, and Polly Platt began to look for an artist's studio.

Michelle Oka Dorner is also a female sculpture artist. Her porcelain dolls have appeared on ABC TV. She has also recently made installation art for many subway stations in New York. Her studio coincides with Mo Li's identity as a sculptor fits the bill.

This is how filming is, the director is the final say on everything, and Ronald has to nod for many details. Because he may be the only one in the world who knows what the final movie will look like.

Today, Ronald also met with director of photography Adam Greenberg. He had previously photographed three dads and a baby, and his photography style was very hardcore. The director of photography that Ronald originally wanted was David Watkin of "Moonlight". His patented lights were sold well by Ronald's factory and he earned a lot of money. Before the money was spent, he Hiding in London to enjoy endless classical concerts, he declined Ronald's invitation.

Another veteran he wanted was Dean Candy, the director of photography at Rock 'n' Roll High School back then. However, his filming of the Back to the Future sequel was overdue, and he unfortunately missed the opportunity to collaborate with his little brother.

In the end, Adam Greenberg took over the position, and Ronald was very satisfied with the communication with him, and he was able to shoot the kind of picture style with some religious and moral implications that Ronald wanted.

Also here was editor Walter Murch. Originally, like Watkin, Murch invented the editing tape himself, and the dividends and patents given to him by Ronald's factory were very good. He did not want to edit commercial films like Ronald.

But Murch's family burden is relatively heavy. His second and third children are about to go to college. Their grades are not good enough to get scholarships. For the sake of their children's education, for the sake of their children's education, for the double of Ronald's offer, He also "succumbed" to the magic of money.

The advantage of using talented and experienced people for all key positions is that all work can be guaranteed to be done well within the expected range.

These are all masters who have been in Hollywood for decades. They know what can be done, what cannot be done, how far it can be done, etc. So Ronald's shooting plan can be very precise.

Shooting in the studio five days a week, from morning to six o'clock in the evening every day, when the time comes, Ronald goes home to have dinner with Diane. A total of four weeks of filming were spent at Paramount Studios in Hollywood, with the final week spent on location in New York. Principal photography for the film can be completed in five weeks.

"Director, Ronald..."

Ronald was discussing some shooting details with the team when another actor walked in and walked directly in front of Ronald.

Here comes the fat black actress Whoopi Goldberg. She has a very distinctive face. Although she is a bit ugly, she looks friendly.

"You scared me, you scared me, director." Whoopi looked at Ronald's young and handsome face. Although this director was young, his ability to control the actors' psychology was excellent.

"You don't know how much psychological pressure I'm under, Ronald. Every black actress and their mother in Hollywood went to audition, but I didn't get notified. I don't know what to do. In the end, even black men Actors also wanted to wear wigs for auditions, and white actresses wanted to apply shoe polish to their skin for auditions. In the end, I waited for the audition notice, and I have to say, this was the best audition I’ve ever had in Hollywood.”

"Yes, I asked them not to give you the audition notice." Ronald was hugged tightly by Whoopi Goldberg and finally broke free. He immediately gave her a psychological blow to make her be honest.

This actress's acting was really good. During the audition, she and Patrick Schwytz played the moment when she actually saw Sam's ghost during the deceptive séance.

The way he confidently deceives customers, and the way he is so frightened after seeing a ghost, and finally insists on relying on ghosts to better deceive customers, the acting is very layered, plus Shi Waits supported and contracted her to limit her drug use, and it was quickly confirmed that she would be cast in Odmee, the psychic film.

"Why? Didn't I lie on your red sofa?" Whoopi Goldberg was funny and deliberately found a red chair in the studio.

Of course it's because you abuse drugs..., Ronald thought, but he couldn't say this, "Of course it's because you are too famous, and I'm afraid the audience won't accept you playing a liar..."

"Ha... ha... ha... it's funny. I have no mercy for those who were eliminated from the audition. Forget about other roles, playing a liar... I became famous in Hollywood by being a liar artist, to say the least. Who can play a liar better than me?"

As expected of a talent who has his own stand-up comedy column on a television station, Whoopi Goldberg's laughs are first-rate.

After joking with Ronald a few times and adjusting the relationship with the director, Whoopi Goldberg left and went to rehearse with Demi Moore and Patrick Schwytz.

Before filming started, Ronald managed to get a week to rehearse so that the actors could get familiar with each other. He also asked Demi Moore to focus on practicing pottery so that there would be no flaws when filming started.

"Did you really cast Whoopi Goldberg in that role?" Walter Murch whispered to Ronald.

"Yeah, what's wrong?" Ronald looked at Murch.

"Ha, I knew it was hard to make money, and her film would be hard to edit." Walter Murch shook his head.

"Why? There's something wrong with the performance?"

"I heard her performance was too improvised, like the last time she edited Juliette Binoche in The Unbearable Lightness of Being. I'm going to watch the daily dailies for the opening week..." Walter Murch and director of photography Adam Greenberg, and worked out a working arrangement with Ronald.

Each performance needs to follow a certain format, so that during post-production, the editor can select the appropriate parts from each strip and cut them together.

Many actors say which of their shots was the best, but it’s actually a joke they didn’t enter the editing room. None of the clips is the final result shown on the screen. It is often multiple clips spliced ​​together.

But if an actor is too out of the ordinary and improvises every time, then the program differences between each performance will be too large, making it difficult for the editor to piece it together.

"Looks like we have to find a way..." Ronald knew what the problem was, and he also agreed with Adam Greenberg that when Whoopi Goldberg was filming, he would take a few more takes than usual to facilitate editing.

"Is the person Jim recommended coming?"

Finally, what Ronald wanted to meet was the person in charge of special effects.

The most powerful special effects team in Hollywood is, of course, Industrial Light and Magic. But this company actually gave Spielberg and Lucas their own film projects as the highest priority.

Other directors and producers rarely make films that continuously invest in and advance special effects. To support a full-time special effects team in a company.

This time, in order to better control the effect, Ronald also asked Cameron if the team he shot the Abyss could introduce to him.

Cameron is now sweetly spending time with his girlfriend Kathryn Bigelow and is getting ready to get married. His current creative passion has waned, and he is currently busy with the distribution contract for Bigelow's new film Blue Steel. And his own new film Abyss is scheduled to be released next month.

Therefore, Cameron's special effects team was disbanded because there were no new projects after the filming of the Abyss scene was completed, leaving only an empty shell of the company. Without a consistent flow of projects, this kind of special effects team is difficult to retain.

But Jim was certainly more familiar with talents in the special effects circle than Ronald. After understanding the main special effects needs of Ronald's new film, he introduced a person to meet Ronald.

"Is Director Ronald Lee here? Someone introduced me to meet him."

"I am, are you John Van Fleet?"

"I just..." Van Fleet stretched out his hand.

Ronald shook his hand happily.

Van Fleet is very quiet, with flowing blond hair. Ronald felt that he looked different in temperament from the special effects talents he had seen before.

"Jim recommended you to me. You are also from Industrial Light and Magic, right? I have worked with them on many traditional model special effects." Ronald said.

"Yes, I have worked at Industrial Light and Magic for a long time, from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back to Raiders of the Lost Ark. But I am different from those in the model special effects department. I come from animation."

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