Exploiting Hollywood 1980

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. Ronald discovered such a clown-like character after watching Jonathan Demme's "Marrying into 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"

"a!"

The coat, makeup, and hairstyle worn by Melanie Griffiths were all restored exactly as they were taken yesterday. Only the leather trench coat that 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 (p). 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 televisions, 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.

This is information that viewers who work in American cities can understand immediately. The crew's set 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.

Oliver Platt, the little fat guy opposite, 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. Turco." Then she got up and went to find her constipated boss, Turco, 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.

"a!"

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 returned to her desk, she told the customer on the phone, "Your promissory note from Shantitco is $18. He (Boss Tess) 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 an excess 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 (bibo).

"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 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 with Harvard's undergraduate degree and Wharton's BA degree, and you only have a night school diploma..."

This is 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 at a young age?

"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 I look like a pimp to you?" 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 steal the show, 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 eat, Ronald ate two chicken sandwiches and drank a cup of coffee. He still had to wait for his old friend Roger Corman who was coming to guest star in the afternoon.

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

"The Ecstasy" co-produced by Roger Corman and Ronald has been filmed and is in post-production and preview. He now regards guest performances in familiar movies as his greatest pleasure.

"It's a director of a Wall Street investment company." Ronald smiled and took him to the shooting site.

"Oh, what's going on, Ronald, what kind of scene are you going to shoot?"

When Coleman saw the shooting site, it turned out to be the bathroom in the company, and he immediately protested. Last time it was a naval officer, why did it look like a B-level horror movie he shot this time?

"How about you play the passerby, and there is a shot with your face, no lines." Ronald handed him the script to read.

This is the scene where Tess goes to the bathroom to find her constipated boss. In this scene, his boss is in the bathroom partition throughout the whole process, only the sound, and only a side face is shown at the end. Roger Corman is good at playing such comedic roles, so Ronald asked him to make a cameo appearance.

"I'd better play a passerby, there is a frontal shot."

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

"No, we didn't find a handsome man. Tess's boss is a broker, and he must be handsome to get the client to pay. Melanie's new boyfriend is the type." The casting assistant was Julia Taylor's apprentice, and what he said made sense.

"What should I do? This scene can't be postponed, and another scene of this scene will be shot tomorrow. I don't have time to find someone else."

Roger Corman was very tempted when he heard that he had to be handsome, but when he looked at the script, the content in it was too abrupt, and it didn't match the appearance of his university teacher, so he would definitely not perform well, so he kept silent.

"Or, or, why don't you do it yourself?" The casting assistant thought Ronald was good-looking enough.

"Yes, Ronald, you can definitely be a sales manager on Wall Street." Roger Coleman also chimed in, "I can call you A."

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

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

Melanie Griffith came back from dinner and saw that it was Ronald who was acting against her, and she laughed out loud.

"Mr. Coleman can call A." Ronald explained to everyone that he only heard the voice of the scene but did not see the person, which was an alternative performance.

"Knock knock..." Griffith knocked on the door of the men's bathroom, then walked in holding the wall. She was very shy and scared, and did not dare to look inside, so she had to shout "Mr. Teko, Mr. Teko?"

"Um..." Ronald gave a low answer.

Roger Coleman played a senior director who was urinating on the other side. He poked his head and showed a sanctimonious face.

Melanie Griffith saw someone looking at her, and quickly turned her face away, raised her arms, and blocked other people's sight.

"The client is very anxious, he bought the promissory note for the original shares..."

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

"He is very anxious, he bought the promissory note, such a client doesn't want to talk to a secretary." Melanie Griffith covered her face with her arms, very shy. The character played by Roger Corman washed his hands in front of her, then wiped them and walked out.

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

"Can you answer his call?" Tess asked the boss Teko inside.

"I don't have paper..."

"What?" Tess was a little confused.

"There's no fucking paper here," Ronald, who plays the manager Tekko, showed his side profile from above the partition and shouted to Tess, "Bring me some!"

Tess, played by Melanie Griffith, was even more embarrassed. She handled it very well. She was stunned for a second when she heard this rude request. After thinking about it, she went to the sink.

Ronald's hand came from

Melanie Griffith performed a relieved expression and ran away quickly.

"Thank you for your help! You are so kind..." Ronald was still thanking him.

"Cut!"

Roger Corman called a halt outside, and everyone came in from outside the bathroom and started applauding. Melanie Griffith's performance fits the role very well, a working girl who works hard in the company, but also has the characteristics of a gentle woman.

"Bravo!" Sigourney Weaver also came at noon. Although her role has not yet come, she has been thinking about the meaning of Ronald giving her a gorilla doll these days. Simply come to the crew to watch the show and find inspiration.

Many great directors have the habit of not explaining everything and letting the actors understand it themselves. Sigourney Weaver thought Ronald was also such a director.

Ronald watched the black-and-white video recorded by the monitor. Griffith acted very well and showed Tess's temperament vividly. It is better not to reshoot such scenes, as he felt embarrassed.

After announcing that this one had passed, Ronald was very satisfied with Melanie Griffith's performance and decided to give her a little reward. He walked to the props, took out a little wild rabbit doll that he would use later, and handed it to Griffith.

"This is a prize for you. You acted very well."

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

In the play, Tess also put a rabbit doll on the table.

"I understand..." Sigourney Weaver, who was standing by, saw this scene and finally figured out Ronald's intention.

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

The gorilla doll that Ronald gave himself was as big as a person. And it was made according to the image in the movie "King Kong". In the movie King Kong, the gorilla held the girl in his hand.

In the script, Katherine got off the plane and played with the King Kong doll in her hand. This is a metaphor, indicating that Katherine is like a smart woman who plays with gorillas.

Gorillas are the image of male executives in companies. They are all so huge and stupid.

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

"Ah... that, as long as you like it." Ronald thought that Weaver had just returned from Kenya after filming a gorilla movie, and he gave her a doll to make her happy. It seems that the effect is good.

The next shooting went smoothly and was finished at 6 pm. Ronald was greeting the volunteer picket team of the Writers Guild. Ricky Lake, the heroine of the "Hairspray" crew, suddenly ran in and hugged Ronald and burst into tears.

"Who is this? She doesn't have a pass for your crew. Is she a screenwriter?..." The people in the picket team 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 unhappily.

"Dive, Dive, he's dead."

"What? What did you say?" Ronald was shocked. Did he hear it wrong? Dive, the drag queen who had just had dinner with him, was dead?

Exploitation Hollywood 1980