Exploiting Hollywood 1980

"I don't quite understand this part of the shot. Why did Harrison Ford suddenly stop here?" Walter Murch was in the editing room, pointing to a shot on the monitor. Harrison Ford turned over on the bed. The body suddenly stopped.

"Oh, that's the request of his manager, no exposure." Ronald remembered, and during the filming, he took several photos of himself in order to turn over just right.

"I either cut to the front where he realizes he's about to reveal his point, or I cut to other close-ups and close-ups... Let's go close-ups, Harrison's reaction is too slow, and the audience will think it's weird if I cut here."

"you're right……"

Back in the editing room, Ronald and Murch began to compete with the film again and slowly grind it out. This time, Ronald's shooting has a few different shooting methods, and the characters in each shot also have ambiguity, which makes Murch feel a bit challenging. Ronald is getting better and better at shooting now.

At noon, the two of them had a light meal and went out to bask in the sun for a while. Murch kept looking at Ronald from the side, making him feel a little embarrassed.

"What?" Ronald asked Murch.

"I'm thinking that maybe you should spend less time on the company and focus more on picking scripts, shooting, and editing. You know, you remind me of the director Howard from the golden age of Hollywood. Hawks."

"The company has just started shooting, and I need to keep an eye on the first few movies." Ronald listened. It was Murch who was a little dissatisfied that he spent too much time and energy on those B-level movies, which affected his creation.

Howard Hawks, mentioned by Walter Murch, is a very magical director. He is not limited to any genre. He has made western films, romance films, gangster films... and even aerial combat films, and they have been touched by his great hand. In the future, genre films will undergo a paradigm innovation, adding innovative elements or structures.

Each genre can be filmed at the top level, and it will open up some new possibilities for newcomers and reinvigorate genre films. "Red River," the movie in which Diane had already gotten the role, was copied from "Red River," which was actually shot by Hawkes.

After it was released, the great Western film director John Ford was so shocked that he dropped his pipe. He didn't expect that Western films could be made like this, and he didn't expect that his frequent co-star John Wayne also had acting skills. Later, he asked Wayne to film it again. He made many new western films, making Wayne the first star of western films.

"Howard Hawks is the idol of many directors. I don't think I can make those works of his. This is not the era of big studios anymore."

"I just don't understand. You have the qualifications to choose scripts, and there are many stars and actors who want to work with you. Directors have a creative cycle. If you don't hurry up and shoot during prime time, you may regret it later."

"Hey, Walter, you don't know how difficult it was for us to be directors for the first time, and how many hardships we had to overcome before we got the opportunity. It's many times more difficult for directors now than when we entered the industry seven or eight years ago."

Ronald knew that he chose the script entirely based on his dreams, and it was not because of his superior ability or vision. He told Walter a different reason, that he wanted to devote some time to daydreaming about low-budget movies.

"My assistant when I was filming Dirty Dancing, Emil Adolino, was actually very good. He could help me a lot on the set, arranging the dance scenes. Later, he also worked as a director for many commercials and Vs. But he was more Being shy, I never got the chance to direct a feature film.

I called him several times to vouch for his quality, but I couldn't convince the producers to hire him. When we enter the industry, if a big director recognizes us, we can usually get some opportunities. "

Both Ronald and Murch suffered from trust issues in their debut films, but once Spielberg and Lucas spoke, they were able to clear the way for them to complete the film. But now in Hollywood, affected by the rising salaries of stars and the high investment costs caused by the Wall Street stock market crash, more and more studios find it difficult to trust inexperienced directors. They only want to invest in directors who have a history of box office success.

And the low-cost movies headed by Roger Corman have gradually lost the drive-in theater market on which they depended for survival. More and more vacant land on the outskirts of the city has been turned into high-end communities or department stores and shopping malls by real estate developers.

If Daydream's video tape distribution business can be stable, then it can gather a group of talented screenwriters, directors and other talents. The small department said that it can make money for its own company, and the big department said that it can bring fresh blood to Hollywood, and the future will be the same. Develop a network of people for yourself.

"That's a good idea..." Murch nodded in agreement. Hollywood is an industry that relies on human output. Giving people opportunities is always a good thing with a good reputation. "Your video tape business has become a big business, so can I." I’ll give a lecture at your place.”

Ronald now felt as if he had really done something meaningful. Although the original intention was to make money for myself...the investment in Hollywood nowadays is too big and the risk is very high. Although small productions such as video tapes cannot make a lot of money, fortunately, the success is steady, which is equivalent to finding a small base for one's own business.

The early 1980s was a window of opportunity for talented young people to enter the industry and become film directors. At that time there were still many opportunities for small productions worth two to three million dollars. Ronald feels that he is really lucky.

Ang Lee, a Chinese man I met in college, never found an opportunity to enter the industry and is still a director with a blank resume. After Ronald contacted him, they had a long phone call and talked about their experiences since they separated.

After graduating from New York University, Ang Lee was spotted by William Morris Agency because of his student graduation work and signed a contract to become a director. At first, he shot some commercials and videos, and then revised some works as a screenwriter, but he never found a suitable movie script to direct himself.

He missed the window of opportunity and wasted six years. If it weren't for his wife Dr. Lin looking for a doctorate in college and doing a biology job to support the family, Ang Lee would probably have to say goodbye to his Hollywood dream.

In addition, with the birth of his eldest son, Ang Lee spent more time on his family. As a man, Ang Lee once wanted to change his career to work in a computer company, but Dr. Lin told him not to change his dream. She fell in love with the movie director Ang Lee, not the computer company salesman Ang Lee.

Fortunately, this time Samuel Goldwyn was very satisfied with his script work and took a fancy to an English script that he had been promoting for many years. Ang Lee will soon be able to direct a real Hollywood production.

Ang Lee actually doesn't like writing scripts. In order to become a director, he worked hard to write several English scripts and asked someone to polish them.

The script that Goldwyn took a fancy to was called "Neon", which tells the story of a runaway prostitute.

This made Goldwyn, whose father liked to shoot such black stories, very happy. He also asked Julia Roberts, the most elegant of the three heroines in the previous modern Cinderella (Ystic Pizza), to continue to star in the new film.

It is expected that after the strike ends, Ang Lee will be able to realize his dream of directing.

Back in the editing room, Murch continued to interrogate Ronald about his thoughts on each shot during the shooting. The two used a non-verbal communication. They took turns to watch the film on the editing machine, and then each marked the place where they thought they should cut with a marker.

If the marks of the two people overlap, then they can reach a consensus. If they don't, they have to cut twice more to make the other party understand their ideas.

But when the film was shot, Harrison Ford had less room to perform than the two heroines because of the restrictions he imposed on the role of Jack in the script. Many times, Murch had to ask Ronald what was going on.

"Harrison might be unhappy after watching the sample film. He is just a male vase in this movie." Walter Murch said to Ronald after watching a scene in which Catherine and Tess had a conversation with each other in Catherine's house. Harrison Ford's performance was really far behind.

"This is his rule. I told him a long time ago." Ronald smiled.

"You did it on purpose?" Murch pushed his glasses. Harrison was very willing to cooperate with Coppola when filming "Apocalypse Now". Now that his salary is getting higher and higher, his pursuit of acting skills has become indifferent.

"No... This is the premise for him to be willing to act, that is, his role cannot be changed before and after, and it must conform to the image of the star from beginning to end." Ronald quickly denied.

"Editors have their own rules. Everything that happens in the editing room stays in the editing room." Murch saw that Ronald was not sincere. He was obviously taking advantage of Harrison Ford and his role in marketing, and in the movie he could pray to set off the role of the heroine. After all, "Working Girl" is a play with women at the center.

"Should I recite two rosaries?" Ronald felt like a confessing Catholic in the editing room, and Walter Murch was his pastor. After doing something bad, confess to him and you will be forgiven by the god of movies.

"Hi, Ronald, Walter..."

Emile Adolino and Murch had worked together before. He came from the editing room next door and showed Ronald the Brooke Shields advertisement.

This unlucky man, like Ang Lee, never got a chance. Ronald promised him a chance to direct, but because of the current screenwriter strike, it has become a distant dream.

Fortunately, Adolino's mentality is not bad. He shot a lot of commercials for Ronald's daydream, so income is not a problem.

Just after he and Murch finished cutting a large roll of film, Ronald put the videotape into the machine and watched the Sony portable video commercial made by Brooke Shields to relax.

"Dang, dang..." Brooke wore a set that looked like the opening of Columbia Studios, which is the symbol of America, the Statue of Liberty.

The white skirt, revealing one shoulder and charming long legs, danced to the fierce drum beats. Her hands were wearing gloves with American stars and stripes, which kept opening and closing.

The lights in the background were flying behind her, matching the dance, and coupled with the constant and rapid jump cuts in close-ups, the music and lights became part of the dance, matching and conveying Brooke's charming charm.

Ronald turned his head in surprise to look at Emil Adolino, who, through his training in advertising and V, had acquired a good grasp of the coordination of sound, picture, lighting, etc.

Moreover, the makeup and stage design were carefully designed. Large earrings and hairstyles were used to modify Brooke's slightly wide chin. The lighting in the close-up also borrowed the shadow of the hair to perform magic on the face shape, as if Brooke had returned to the appearance of sixteen years old.

Ronald looked at Murch, and he also raised two thumbs up, indicating that this segment was very good.

"Very good, submit it to Sony." Ronald nodded to Emile. Because of the lack of script reserves, there was no suitable movie for him for the time being. When the strike is over, he will give him a chance to debut.

"Well, Fox gave me an editing guide today..." Walter Murch and Ronald continued to edit the next day. At the beginning, Murch took a piece of paper and handed it to Ronald.

"Out of respect for the union, we require all directors to comply with the following regulations for editing..."

Ronald looked at it and it seemed that the battle between the Writers Guild and the Producers Union for other unions had spread to all studios.

Labor and management refused to give in to each other. The screenwriter would rather have no money to eat than to fight for his own rights. Ronald and several celebrity friends were on the phone, and they didn't want to offend the screenwriters at this time.

If their reputation in the screenwriter community is ruined, others will deliberately write some plots that don't fit their image when writing scripts in the future, which will affect their celebrity status.

Of course, they won't come out for the screenwriters for no reason. They just follow the crowd. Under the instigation of some people with ulterior motives, they still donated money to the Writers Guild so that they can get some minimum wage during the strike.

Another major battlefield is the various other union organizations in Hollywood. All unions, including the artistic actors' union, casting directors, and technical photographers, sets, props, all unions jointly put pressure on the studio, hoping that they can leave enough time and size for subtitles in prominent positions.

"All main creative staff and department directors must not appear in the title for less than 1.5 seconds, and the font must not be less than xx..."

"Such a specific rule? Why did the Producers Guild compromise so much?" Ronald saw that there was such a specific rule, and he began to scold the Producers Guild for compromising.

"You won't agree, will you? If you do that, your opening shot will be ruined..." Murch thinks that art is the first priority. When editing "Apocalypse Now", the title did not appear for a long time at the beginning. At that time, Coppola did not bow to these rules.

Ronald certainly knew that if the opening shot that he desperately shot with the aerial photography, accompanied by Carly Simon's wonderful Wall Street Rhapsody, was inserted with lines of large font subtitles, the effect of the carefully designed opening would be at least reduced by two-thirds.

However, Coppola used his own money to shoot Apocalypse Now, and this Working Girl was mostly paid for by 20th Century Fox. I can't have the final say like him.

Ronald and Murch quickly found the film and projected it on the screen, repeatedly watching the two-minute long shot at the beginning.

"Can we put the subtitles in a position that does not affect the overall layout of the picture? Everything else meets the requirements, but let them appear on the screen at the farthest point from the focus of vision."

He remembered the attention magic that Murch taught him. Editing is to let the audience focus their vision on the position you want them to see, so they will not pay attention to the exposed places outside the focus.

In the past, Murch used this trick to make sure that no one could see the goofs in the movie.

"Hey, this is a solution, but it's better not to put subtitles." Murch said it was feasible. After watching it for a while, the audience would ignore the subtitles, but it was completely in line with the regulations.

"Now is the critical moment of the strike. If we are too tough, it might cause trouble. Let's cut two versions to deal with the inspection, and then when we make the copy, we can change to the version without subtitles." Ronald thought for a while and said.

"Okay, you are the director, I will write down the specific requirements and ask the laboratory to make two copies." Murch wrote down Ronald's request.

The movie will be released before the end of the year to meet the nomination requirements for the Oscars next year. The copies will be made after the summer vacation, and the strike should be over by then, right?