Exploiting Hollywood 1980

The next filming began to go smoothly. Jennifer Beers was a top student who was admitted to Yale University by herself, and her comprehension was outstanding. Adrian Lane explained the background, character, and behavior of her characters, and she performed them well.

For example, in the shot of Alex working as a female welding worker in a steel mill, Jennifer Beales puts on a tooling, a helmet, and protective goggles to weld a workpiece with a welding torch.

Westinghouse had just dismantled their turbine plant in Pittsburgh, which the crew had just rented out as a steel mill interior.

Bills picked up the welding torch and pointed the camera at her helmet, which had alex written on it, and steam and loud noise began to fill the set.

"a!"

Bills tapped the welding torch on the workpiece, and a spark came out. She did not know how to maintain the proper distance between the welding torch and the workpiece, so that the welding rod could melt evenly and stably. The magnetic force always pushed her electrodes to one side, shutting off at every turn.

Bills was very smart, she continued to poked the workpiece with the electrode, so that the current could be passed continuously, and a lot of sparks popped out of the electrode.

"cut!"

Ryan made a nice gesture. The audience can't see the difference anyway, and the point of the film isn't to depict the work of the welding women.

Ronald and the crew applauded and congratulated the camera on the successful shot. In addition to the newly filmed scenes of forklift trucks, tipping buckets, and employees banging on pipes with inexplicable meaning, the editing is like a heavy metal scene in a steel factory.

"Why should such an advanced factory be demolished?" Ronald chatted with Westinghouse personnel after the filming was completed.

"The local trade unions are too powerful now, and they plan to stop producing turbines locally and instead purchase OEM products from Toyo Mitsubishi Heavy Industries."

...

"Ugh..." The hydraulic device of the dump truck sent out a huge force, pushing the dump bucket over its head and overturning it. The close-up shot of the dump truck is very majestic. Jennifer Beers took off the welding mask, tossed her hair from side to side, and let out a long breath.

The next day, Ronald sat down with director Adrian Lane and producer Don Simpson to watch the dailies again.

The recorder plays Joe Esposito's theme song for "Blitzkrieg"..."what a feeling"

The melody is nice,

Ronald had heard it in his dreams, and he began to imagine how to edit these pictures taken by Director Ryan to match the rhythm of the music.

"This scene needs to fill two bars of music, then cut to the scene where the heroine is welding, then the scene where the pipe is tapped, and finally when the melody is accumulating energy, cut to the scene where Bills shakes his hair..."

"Ronald, Ronald?"

Ronald came to his senses. Don Simpson was asking him a question.

"Ronald, what do you think? There is some mismatch between the theme song and the picture, what do you think?"

Director Adrian Lane asked Ronald for his opinion sincerely. He now regards Ronald as an artist who is comparable to him. Sometimes even though he has an idea, he still wants to ask Ronald's opinion. Opinion.

"Doesn't it match?" Ronald listened carefully. The lyrics were different from what he dreamed. The lyrics in the dream were more from a woman's point of view, explaining his journey of pursuing his dream.

"Maybe we should rewrite the lyrics and tell the story from the heroine's point of view..."

"That's right, why don't you do it?" Don Simpson replied, "Adrian, Ronald was the lyricist for the best original song at the Oscars."

"This..." Ronald didn't want to copy other people's works this time. "This is a song from a female perspective. We may find a woman to fill in the lyrics more appropriately. There are some subtle differences in the emotional expression of men and women."

"That's right, why don't we find a female singer to sing the song again?" Director Ryan took the opportunity to express his thoughts, "What do you think? Ronald, Don?"

"A female singer is a good idea." Ronald nodded in agreement, of course.

"Female singer, we may have to find a mezzo-soprano." Don Simpson looked at Ronald. "Do you have any options?"

"You guys should have seen that 'Famous Around the World' theme song?" Ronald thought of his old friend Erin Carla.

"That's the 'same (fame)? Hahaha, of course I've heard of it. That black girl is really a good candidate, you call her and let her submit a demo"

...

"Ronald... long time no see... what, there is a movie theme song... um, melody you play for me... rewrite the lyrics?... female perspective... I understand, I'll go to the studio right away. "

Erin Kara was very happy to receive the call from Ronald. I have been singing my song "Fame" for two years, and I desperately need a new song, otherwise the TV station will not let me on the show.

She grabbed the notebook of the original lyrics that Ronald dictated over the phone, rushed out of her New York apartment, pulled over a taxi, and headed for the recording studio. In the back seat of the taxi, she took out a notebook and pencil and corrected it.

"Alone, I'm already crying

Silent tears, full of pride

in a world of steel

Well, I heard the music

Close my eyes and feel the rhythm

around, hold my heart

what a wonderful feeling

To exist is to believe

I could have it all and now I'm dancing for my life"

Half an hour later, Erin Kara, who arrived at the recording studio, grabbed the phone and dialed to Pittsburgh.

"Ronald, I've written new lyrics, listen..."

"What do you think?"

Erin Carla corrected the lyrics on the way, then went to the studio to sing a cappella demo, and Don Simpson and Adrian Lane heard Erin sing over the phone.

Don Simpson closed his eyes and circled his fingers in the air, as if conducting the band to play the theme song "what a feeling"

After listening to the demo, he opened his eyes, "Very good, just use your friend's version. I think this song has the potential to become popular. When Alex goes to the ballet academy for the exam, why not just use this music?"

Don Simpson's last words were addressed to the director.

"It's great. It shows a girl's inner pursuit of dance art in a steel-industrial city. How did you find this lyricist and singer?"

Ronald was stunned for a moment, he just thought that the singer's voice in the dream was like a black man, and he just happened to know Erin Kara. But he had to make up a reason to say that he has an artist's taste.

"Eileen Carla is a black Latino, and it's going to be a bit tougher in this industry. So she's empathizing with that? She's on her way to the studio, changing those women in less than half an hour. Perspective lyrics."

Both Don Simpson and Adrian Lane who said this nodded. The music scene in America has always been that local blacks provide talent, and whites are responsible for commercialization. Irene Cara, who is not reliant on both sides, does have a similar mood as the protagonist Alex.

Alex, a welder who works in a factory, relies on this wild dance foundation and wants to be admitted to the ballet academy. He also needs to deal with the doubts of others and himself.

Eileen Kara's soundtrack demo was made very quickly, and the crew quickly got the theme song "What a Wonderful Feeling".

The crew applied to the Pittsburgh government for an invitation to shoot in the morning, preparing to shoot alex riding a bicycle to work, shuttling through the streets and alleys of Pittsburgh and the iconic Three Sisters Bridge.

These are three steel bridges in downtown Pittsburgh, built in the 1920s when America's infrastructure was rampant. The Three Sisters Bridge closely links the city center divided by three rivers, and there are also bicycle lanes for people to use.

The Pittsburgh Police Department sent some officers to help the crew coordinate traffic.

The recording team played a recording of "what a wonderful feeling" at the scene, which made the heroine Jennifer Beals more into the state.

"DiDi..." A policeman who was sent to direct the traffic also heard the music. He began to imitate various musical instruments and performed many dance moves to direct the traffic.

Ronald looked very interesting, and quickly pulled over the shoulder of director Adrian Lane. "Adrian, look at that man..."

"What is that?" Ryan also found it interesting.

"Why don't we put a cop who dances and directs traffic in a movie? I bet this guy is famous in Pittsburgh," Ronald said.

"Hello, sir, can I disturb you?" Ronald greeted the policeman in the past.

"Hello, I'm Vic Sianka, siren xxxxx"

The dancer directing the traffic saluted Ronald and introduced himself.

"Is this how you usually direct traffic?"

"Yes, the traffic command is very boring, and the drivers in Pittsburgh are not very good-natured. I will use some dance moves to keep everyone calm and obey the order."

"What do you think about appearing in our movie and playing yourself?"

"Oh, may I? I have to tell my wife the good news. Thank you, sir."

After communicating with officials sent by the Pittsburgh government. The police officer who directs traffic with dance moves is also well-known locally. He has directed traffic for more than two decades and has been featured in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

He was dubbed the "Baryshnikov of the Crossroads" by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and was known to all Pittsburgh locals.

"Very good, such a plot arrangement will increase the recognition of local audiences." Don Simpson also learned the news and agreed to add a scene.

"You know what? I think alex should use some movements that are not traditional ballet." Ronald explained his own thoughts and some scenes in the dream to Tang and Adrian.

"Alex is a welder, and his dance is learned from ballet dancers on TV. There must be a lot of informality and irregularities. It is almost impossible for such a character to be admitted to the Ballet Academy in Pittsburgh.

We have to make the audience feel that this plot has a certain rationality, so we must add some street dances to her, such as imitating the policeman's dance steps, so that the judges of the entrance examination also feel very fresh. Her admission could also be more convincing. "

The more Ronald said, the more reasonable he felt, "Although Alex's interview for admission was won by his boyfriend and steel mill boss Nick, her admission must not be the same backdoor, but should be fought with Alex himself. related."

"It makes sense, we can let Bills and the dance police learn a few moves, but that's not enough, what dances should we add to her?" Don Simpson felt that this improvised plot had a good connection with the original script. , so prepare to let the choreographer start working overtime.

"What do you think of this dance?" Ronald simply took off his jacket and danced the kind of black breakdance he had seen in his dreams.

"What the hell is this dance?" Don Simpson's eyes popped out.

"This is called a spacewalk, a moonwalk, this is called a noodle dance, and this..." Ronald found the ground of a building next to the porch, which was so frightened that the water milled marble, lay down on the ground, and began to spin.

"It's called a helicopter. I'm not very good at jumping." Ronald pulled away and explained to the director and producer.

"It's a popular dance among black people on the east and west coasts. You can go to L.A. and have some real dancers try it out. Latinos and black people do it a lot. There's a show on TV that shows this dance a lot, what's it called...soul train"

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I wish all readers New Year's greetings, I wish you all a prosperous Year of the Tiger and all your wishes come true.

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