Exploiting Hollywood 1980

"Harris Glenn Milstead, commonly known as Dive, died in his sleep last night, two weeks after the release of his first theatrical film, Hairspray. He was only forty-two.

Ricky Lake, who played the role of his daughter in the movie, discovered the unexpected. After notifying the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, John Waters, the director of the movie "Hairspray," sat in a room with several actors for several hours.

They were friends of the dive, and they stood around their friends as the body was being carried out of the hotel, preventing the media from taking any photos of it.

Attorney General for the Southern District, Mr Rudy, has released the news that a coronial inquest into the controversial actor's death will be arranged as soon as possible. According to sources from the medical examiner's department who did not want to be named, the cause of death was likely to be heart enlargement and heart failure caused by alcohol abuse. "

Ronald was on the phone with Cameron Crowe discussing script revisions while listening to the news reports on TV. Dive's unexpected death caused quite a stir in the news.

Everyone is curious about this cross-dressing artist. His previous performances in low-budget John Waters movies, his controversial identity, and his super-fat figure are all topics of conversation.

This time I managed to play a normal role in "Hairspray" and performed very well. His agent has already contacted him for a major role in the latest episode of the Ghost Street horror film series, "The Last Nightmare."

Who knew that just when his future was bright, dive would die on the eve of becoming famous.

Cameron Crowe also knew the peculiar actor and felt sorry for him. "I heard he doesn't have a family yet, no kids."

"Forget it, his parents are also very dissatisfied with his life. Director Waters said that this time he will be buried next to his grandmother's grave in his hometown of Baltimore." Ronald and Crowe also felt a little sad when they talked about it, dive life The method is also unhealthy. It is said that he has advanced his future salary, and now he still owes a lot of debt after his death. His parents love him and he is a ghost.

"He was discovered by Ricky Lake, who played his daughter in the movie. Now the little girl is scared to death and mentally affected. She can't participate in subsequent marketing activities. I don't have time to take care of it. I leave it all to director Waters. deal with."

Ronald was extremely kind to this person, and even used his connections to contact the Prosecutor's Office of the Southern District of New York to avoid being investigated by the NYPD and causing greater negative news. The film is an orthodox musical, and this kind of exposure will make viewers think it is another vomiting horror film directed by Waters.

The heroine, Ricky Lake, stayed in New York and did not work on the "Working Girl" crew, and was watched during this time.

…

After filming the office scenes, Ronald and the crew moved to Staten Island. There is a furnished apartment house here as the residence of Tess and her boyfriend Mick.

What was shot today was the scene of Tess going home alone after a disappointing day after listening to a lecture.

Ronald looked at the room. The setting was very professional. There are three camera positions filming simultaneously. We strive to accurately show the birthday party prepared for Tess by her boyfriend Mick, best friend Xin and their friends.

This is also a script design that strives to densely display background information in a short period of time. Cameron Crowe made some changes to Kevin Wade's previous script. In this way, many people are willing to hide in a small room and give Tess a surprise party, which shows that Tess has many friends and everyone likes her very much.

On the other hand, the small room also indicates that the economic conditions of her and her boyfriend Mick are not very good. The original script also included the story of Tess's mother taking a long break due to illness, but Cameron Crowe deleted it, leaving only a few scenes to tell enough information.

The director of photography, Michael Ballhaus, was busy for a long time. He hid one camera in a vase recessed in the wall, and the other was placed in the room for a long time, but he could not find a suitable location. It can take pictures without being caught by other cameras.

Ronald couldn't help but miss the British photographer who collaborated with him in "Moonlight". His ability to hide lenses was excellent.

"How about we find a few more extras to block the camera." Michael Ballhaus worked for a long time, but gave up. In this film, Ronald strived for a smooth performance by the actors and gave up many editing methods. This scene is also about hoping that Tess can't find anyone when she returns home, and then pretends to be surprised. The plot is handled in one shot.

"Huh..." Ronald let out a long breath. This was the first time that he made a film that focused on performance continuity. There are many problems that I have never encountered before, and they affect the whole body.

For example, if the performance here needs to be completed in one go, then a camera must be inserted in the room. In order to block it, more extras must be added to block the lens at the appropriate time.

And if there are more extras, it is necessary to find some qualified actors. This movie cannot destroy the overall credibility because of a few extras who are not good at acting.

"Papa..." Ronald clapped his palms a few times and asked Julia Taylor to call on the spot and find someone to fill it in.

"Director, can I play an extra?" Ricky Lake, the protagonist of "Hairspray", worked as Ronald's assistant again. Seeing this situation, she volunteered. She worked in Ronald's crew and temporarily forgot about the horror. scene.

"Go to Sandra (Bullock) and read today's script. Don't steal the scene." Ronald patted her and asked her to try on clothes. After the test of the previous movie, I can play this kind of small role.

"Director, my brother came to see me. He is also a theater actor in Chicago. Can you give him a chance?" Joan Cusack saw that Ronald had given the little girl a chance, and she couldn't help but ask for one for her brother.

"Is he here? Let him come and take a look." Ronald was very careful and watched the live audition of Joan's younger brother named John. He has a good appearance and can indeed act, so that he will not appear low when the camera scans him. That's the kind of problem costing a movie.

Julia Taylor also had a number of extras coming. After putting on makeup in a mess, Ronald selected a few actors who looked like Staten Islanders working in Manhattan and asked them to stand in the bedroom. .

In particular, an actor named David Duchovny was taller than Joan Cusack's younger brother. Ronald specially asked him to stand in front of the camera, so that the effect of blocking would be better.

All departments were busy putting on makeup. When they were all ready, Ronald yelled: "A!"

The photographer held up a large stabilizer (Steadicam) and took a close-up of Melanie Griffiths.

She unlocked the door and came in. She called her boyfriend several times, "Mick...Mick..." but there was no one there. Tess remembered that her best friend Xin said there was a surprise party today. She walked to the door of the master bedroom and opened the door suddenly. No one was there.

Then she looked at the living room again, but there was no one there either. Tess, who already knew there was a surprise party, had a warm smile on her face, remembering the small guest bedroom.

As soon as the door opened, many people inside shouted: "surprise!"

The boyfriend played by Alec Baldwin, who was squatting on the ground, picked up Melanie Griffith and kissed her.

Ronald was very confident about Melanie Griffith's performance. In almost every scene, she performed perfectly from the first shot. Usually the second and third items are worse. This is the usual state of actors who rely on talent and reaction to perform.

But in this scene, the more she filmed and made an appointment, probably the handsome Baldwin would end it by kissing her every time. Griffiths, who had a one-sided crush on him, continued to act and kissed Baldwin a few more times as a bonus.

"Surprise!" The last one, the group performers at the back performed particularly hard. Joan Cusack's brother acted very explosively. Although he was in the back row during this shot, almost no audience would notice that his reaction was so natural and smooth.

And the guy whose main job is to block David Duchovny takes a second to pop out. But after several scenes, he acted very hard.

For these extras, this is a rare opportunity to be on camera. From now on, I can also write a line in my resume that I have appeared in a major Hollywood production.

After filming this hilarious scene, Ronald kicked all the extras out. Talent knows the truth.

"a!"

All unnecessary staff were cleared away, and under the warm lights of the scene, the boyfriend Mick, played by Alec Baldwin, lay on the bed with his shirtless body exposed and his thick chest hair exposed. Looking at a car magazine. Next to him was Tess's seat, with a stuffed toy on the pillow. It represents Tess's inner world.

Baldwin put down the car magazine, as if he had discovered something that dazzled his eyes. He threw away the magazine, put away the stuffed toy, and said to the camera with bright eyes:

"You look so beautiful..." Then he pulled back Tess's quilt and patted the bed gently with his hand. He changed his tone and said softly, "Come here, baby."

Another camera is facing Melanie Griffiths over there, and Tess is facing a cheap floor-length mirror, struggling to put on the sexy lingerie that Mick bought her as a birthday present. She faced the mirror and tied the garters on the black patterned stockings she wore to work.

Time has left its mark on Tess's body, and gravity has made her figure not as good as that of a young woman. Tess worked hard to put on this kind of sexy underwear specially for boudoir fun, and turned to her boyfriend Mick with a seductive smile. This time, Mick's reaction made her feel a little more confident about her body, which was just over thirty.

Ronald's camera angle was very tricky, so that what appeared in the full-length mirror was Tess's beautiful body, and there was no camera that was wearing anything.

"You know what? Mick, I wish you could just once, just once, give me a present that I could wear out. A sweater, earrings, anything, something that I could pass around outside the apartment. thing."

Melanie Griffiths said and posed twice. She was still the very charming actress under the camera.

"cut!"

Ronald was particularly satisfied with this scene. Perhaps Griffiths borrowed his love for Alec Baldwin into the plot. She acted very naturally, really like a mature boyfriend and girlfriend.

Tess is a blue-collar worker. It took her eight years to obtain the equivalent of an undergraduate degree from night school. The secretary's salary was meager, and she had to spend money to pay expensive tuition. Therefore, Tess has very little budget to make herself beautiful, which makes it difficult for her to find a white-collar boyfriend at work.

Such a boyfriend who works in catering, has no higher education, but has some spare money is the best choice she can find. But Mick is vulgar, doesn't understand romance, and doesn't spend money on Tess's appearance.

"Cut!" Ronald praised Griffiths and Baldwin again. They said their performance was very good and they didn't need any more guidance from themselves.

"When it comes to the next one, I want to see a little different way of expressing it. What she says to Mick is less complaining and more to herself, because she knows Mick will not change."

Ronald used this method to coach the actors because he was the only audience member of the two actors and he had to carefully protect the actors' self-esteem and confidence. The chemistry between the two actors in particular is so good that it's best not to spoil it with criticism.

"Okay, I understand." Griffiths was very happy when she heard what Ronald said. She could also understand this subtle adjustment, and immediately began to prepare her emotions for another one.

"Cut! Very good, this is the print, that's it." When faced with such talented actors, Ronald mainly encouraged them. He didn't want to give them a framework or tell them how to act, but just gave them some feedback. , allowing them to adjust themselves from the sole audience.

In this way, some talented rivalry can come out on their own under this kind of good interaction.

"We have a half-hour break, Alec's home.

"I need a moment..." The expression on Alec Baldwin's face was a mixture of eagerness and slight worry.

"Everyone quit."

Ronald asked everyone who had nothing to do with him to leave.

Although Tess and Mick have lived together for many years, they are not the best choice for each other. It's just that the two couldn't find a more suitable one for a while, and they were used to each other's existence, so they lived together. If they continued according to the inertia, Tess might accept Mick's proposal because there was no hope of promotion-if Mick wanted to And old love if you wish.

The next scene is still there, the plot is that Tess went to interview for a new position in the hedging department the next day, and found out that it was a trap, and the manager just wanted to play with beautiful women. She went home early in anger and found that Mick at home was having an affair with another black-haired beauty without telling her.

"Lisa Bai Yin?" Ronald asked the black-haired actress who came over to film an affair with Mick. This actress named Elizabeth Whitcraft is very charming. Julia Taylor searched for a long time because she needed an exposure performance. This is not a low-budget movie. In addition to being able to sacrifice, the actors also need certain acting skills.

The last person I found was Lisa White, who had acted in two Alan Parker movies and had explicit scenes in them.

After clearing the place, Alec Baldwin and Elizabeth Whitcraft put two layers of adhesive tape on key parts and sat on the bed in the same bedroom in a woman-on-top position. Ronald closed the bedroom door gently, stepped back, and then sent a signal to the director of photography.

There was no call to ruin the atmosphere in this scene, everyone was doing it automatically.

"Katcha" Griffiths unlocked the door just like in the previous scene. After she came in, she suddenly realized that something was wrong. There was a sound that all grown men and women knew.

The photographer holding the camera stabilizer was taking pictures of her while backing away. Tess walked softly to the bedroom door.

Tess, who listened at the door for a few seconds and made sure she heard correctly, kicked the door open. Doreen, played by Elizabeth Yin, is riding on top of Mick. Mick was so frightened that he sat up suddenly.

"What, no school today?" Mick, played by Alec Baldwin, said this line brilliantly.

When people are in very embarrassing situations, they often say things they don't know, as if Mick was watching TV at home and saw his real girlfriend Tess coming back.

Doreen, played by Lisa White, also reacted well. Her first reaction was to cover her face. She couldn't find her clothes while riding on Mick and couldn't get away for the time being.

"There are no classes..." Tess was also stunned for a moment, not knowing what to say. Melanie Griffiths had a look of disbelief on her face.

"Well...it's not what you seem..." Baldwin's Mick habitually quibbles.

But with the way Lisa Bai was stuck on top of him, this reason didn't make sense.

"No, this is what you see, but I can explain..." Mick quickly changed his excuse.

Griffiths' face was full of disappointment.

"No, there's no explanation for that, Tess." Mick was caught red-handed and couldn't explain anything.

"Asshole!" Melanie Griffiths said softly, which was better than a thousand words or a loud roar.

She turned and left...

"cut!"

Ronald hurriedly sent bathrobes, and both performers worked hard.

"The pauses in the lines are very good." Ronald first asked Elizabeth Yin to put on a bathrobe, and then praised Baldwin. As a theater actor, he can make his lines so funny and cruel.

This is the adult truth, Tess and Mick are not without feelings, but they are not that good either.

"Will I keep the frontal shots?" Elizabeth Whitcraft put on her bathrobe and tied her belt, and hurried over to ask the director. Exposing a performance is just to show your face in front of the camera. If the director cuts out the frontal shot of himself afterwards, it will be in vain.

"Do you mind?" Ronald asked. Originally, he wanted Yin Lisabai to be a background so that the audience could understand the plot. He had no intention of focusing the audience's attention on this beauty.

"I want a frontal close-up shot, and I wouldn't mind showing up in Ronald's movie." Elizabeth Whitcraft said it very straightforwardly. If the movie is a hit, she will be the focus of the audience's discussion, and of course a scene.

"Very good, I'll arrange it right away. I'll give you a close-up. You'll also be in the wedding scene of Sheen later." Ronald treated her as a dessert for the audience. Such an actor who performed so hard deserved an extra shot.

Exploitation Hollywood 1980