Exploiting Hollywood 1980

   Chapter 362 Interview Subject

   I don't know if there is something wrong with the dream, or if I haven't seen this movie in my previous life. Ronald felt a little uncomfortable, so he had to revise the script of "Dragon Flying Phoenix" with his own screenwriting ability.

  Through the good relationship between CAA and Paramount, Ronald thought to come to the reference of the script outlines of the previous editions. The original script was obviously pulled by Travolta, RSO Records, Paramount, etc. It was not a very smooth story. There are many careful thoughts from all sides.

   Travolta hopes to show more of his **** image, RSO Records hopes to put more powerful songs and golden songs to promote the popularity of the BeeGees again, their record sales have suffered a serious decline due to the disco destruction incident.

   And Paramount is perhaps most interested in the quality of the story itself, they want to make it as engaging as possible, with a reasonable beginning, middle, and end. As long as the story stays above the mark, many viewers still want to see John Travolta dance.

  I don’t know the ecology of Broadway very well. Ronald picked up the phone and asked a friend for help.

"Don, I'm Ronald, please do me a favor." He called "Flash Dance" producer Don Simpson, "Have you finished filming in Philadelphia? I want to borrow someone from you. ."

  …

"Cynthia, thank you for helping me out, and I'll ask you some questions about your dancing career." Ronald found a cafe, and Cynthia Rhodes, who played the club dancer in "Lightning Dance" ( Cynthia Rhodes) to chat about the script.

   "Huh? Why? I thought you had a script for me to play." Cynthia joked.

   "I'm writing the script for Travolta's 'Saturday Night Fever' sequel."

   "Ah..." Cynthia suddenly exclaimed, "Is this movie finally going to have a sequel? Or is Travolta playing Tony Manero?"

   "Uh, yes." Ronald didn't expect Cynthia to be so fascinated by this movie. It seems that the original work was indeed deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.

   "If only I could play a part in this movie, we used to imitate Travolta and his dance partner."

   "Don't you dance ballet and jazz?" Ronald asked curiously. "Saturday Night Fever" is the story of a young Italian-American who dances disco in a disco.

   "Disco was popular back then. We all danced secretly, but we couldn't let our parents know." Cynthia replied.

   "Okay, then I started asking. How did you become a dancer?"

   "I've been dancing since I was a kid, and I'm still a little singer. When I grew up, I went to Broadway in New York to try my luck. But I wasn't lucky enough to get a Broadway role.

   Then I did some commercials and MVs, and acted in a group for a few movies. Only recently did my manager get a chance to appear in 'Lightning Dance'. "Cynthia replied in simple clothes, holding a coffee cup.

   "You can still sing?"

   "As a child I sang at garden parties in my hometown of Nashville."

   Ronald was impressed. Nashville is the center of American music, where many record companies are based. Although he is a small garden party singer, he should have a certain level to be selected.

   "Ordinary dancers, who are the key people who need to impress if they want to enter Broadway?"

"It's mainly the casting director's primary selection, and then the director of the musical will do a group interview to select candidates for the backup dancers. The protagonists are basically selected from famous dancers, and occasionally there will be dancers who jump out of the backup dancers. At that time, the first It's my dream to be a backup dancer and be picked to be the main character again."

  Broadway musicals, usually the dancers will do the dance background after a line, which is called the dancer line. The protagonist can only play before the dance line.

   "Then why didn't you persevere later?"

   "Well... how do you say it? The career length of female dancers is generally only half that of male dancers. I was twenty-three years old at the time and didn't have a real chance, so I wanted to try the film industry."

   "How much do you think a dancer like Manero who can dance the best in a disco is likely to make it to Broadway and be chosen for the lead role?"

"This is not a type of dance. Disco is more unrestrained and free. Jazz dancing on Broadway requires more basic training and rehearsal. But a dance genius like Manero, if he concentrates on his studies, it is not impossible. He looks like this. handsome."

   "Before he was chosen? What might Manero do to support his family?"

"His appearance and dancing skills are very popular in discos, like Club 54. He can make a lot of money by tipping as a waiter. If he doesn't go to these sensual places, he can be a dancer in a health club. Coach, you can live in Manhattan."

  …

   Ronald asked a lot of questions and memorized all kinds of problems, temptations, and troubles that a dancer would encounter in a big city.

   "Thanks, Cynthia, that's about it. Paramount will send you a check for the cost of the interview."

  "Ronald", Cynthia stared at him, "Do you think I can play a role in the sequel?"

   "I don't know. I'm not the director of this movie, I was just hired to revise the script. I can say hello to Paramount and have a nice word about you, but I can't promise anything?"

   "Really?" Cynthia hugged Ronald happily and kissed him on the cheek, "I'm so happy."

   "Don't get too excited, it's just an audition." Ronald touched his face. Cynthia has lovely blonde hair and is a dancer, which fits her aesthetic quite well.

   First, we slowly weave the life materials of many dancers from interviews with Cynthia into different plots.

   The next step is to connect the various plots together with several main lines. The original script was weaker in this regard, which is why Travolta and Sterwood were dissatisfied.

  Without the guidance of the dream, Ronald still resorted to the old method, writing all the episodes of Tony Manero on three-inch index cards, and then nailing them to the cork board on the wall, arranging them in front and back and left and right.

The advantage of   dream is that it gives the direction of several climax scenes, which is equivalent to giving the main line of the movie, or one of the main lines. The rest just fill in the blanks.

   There is no guidance now, so I can only rethink it myself, and come up with a main line that is logical, emotional, and has various unexpected plots.

  The biggest problem appeared in Manero's dance career. In the script Ronald got his hand, Manero was written as a dance genius who yearned for Broadway. But in the original work, he was clearly an excellent grassroots dancer who danced disco. How could he smoothly transition to a Broadway musical?

   As Cynthia said, a handsome man who can make a lot of money in the 54 club and has no shortage of women. How did you find the motivation to give up everything and start dancing on Broadway?

  Have to find a suitable motive for Manero, let him and his girlfriend who is a dancer on Broadway go to Broadway to see a musical, and fell in love with that kind of dance at first sight?

  Ronald felt that what was lacking most right now was time. While changing the script of "Dragon Flying Phoenix", he still had his own "Night of the Comet" that needed to be revised, financed, and found suitable actors.

   In order not to delay the progress of both sides, he divided his time into pieces according to the minimum unit of half an hour. Then strictly within each block, only do the relevant things.

  It was like this, and I was so tired that it was only after a week that I initially revised it, and then I went to the gym to submit the revised script to Travolta.

   Travolta is dancing, and now he dances three hours a day and lifts the barbell for two hours a day to regain his figure and dance ability.

"Maneiro was fascinated by the heroine of the musical, gave up his job as a bartender, went to a gym as a dance instructor, recovered and learned the basics of jazz dance while earning money, and finally auditioned for a new musical, impressed As a director, he was selected as a backup dancer.

   At the same time, Manero's girlfriend was also selected as a backup dancer. The two are working together in their careers.

   During rehearsal, the musical heroine had a conflict with her boyfriend who did not want her to continue her dancing career. Manero comforted and helped the heroine. Manero's girlfriend thought he was in love with each other, and in the end, during the dance, the two got to know each other's hearts and got back together. "

Travolta quickly read the script, "Ronald, you are really fast and of high quality. I am very satisfied. What do Paramount and Sterwood think about this?" agent said.

   "Mr. Sterwood recognizes that as long as you are willing to play at Paramount, everything else is easy to say."

"Okay, then we need to find a good director. I like the kind of Manero that Ronald said last time, who struggles like Rocky. We'd better find a director like Rocky's movies, good at Shoot small people struggle success stories."

   "Do you have a candidate?" the agent asked Travolta.

   "Um... all help me think about it, anyone? You help me think too, Ronald."

   "Since you like Rocky so much, why don't you use Rocky's director?" Ronald replied. This script is inherently flawed, and it has to satisfy the interests of several investors. Ronald has no dream reference and does not want to direct this movie.

   Besides, he was still busy with the "Night of the Comet", and he didn't have the heart to recommend himself, so he said something casually.

   "Ah? Right? You help me ask Mr. Stallone if he is interested?" Travolta said excitedly to his agent.

   "The director of Rocky's first film wasn't Stallone, right?" Ronald muttered.

   crossed the script of "Dragon Flying and Phoenix Dance", one step further away from the established goal.

   Next, we should find the remaining main actors. There are hints in the dreams of several male and female protagonists. Except for the male protagonist's poor acting skills, several other people are very sufficient for a low-cost exploitation film.

  The actors who are too expensive can't afford it themselves.

   First look for the heroine Catherine Mary Stuart, the beauty who was tricked by Meinahan to film the heroine of the "Apple" musical.

"What script? Is it a fast-paced group drama? Am I playing the lead role?" Katherine Marie Stuart was very interested in Ronald's film, and she had long wanted to make a "fast-paced" movie. "That kind of movie made a name for itself.

"One of the protagonists, there are only two valley girls and sisters as the protagonists. You are the one with the most important role. In fact, it was the plot that I came up with after I saw you at the Minahan banquet last time. It's a sci-fi theme. Plus zombie teen movies."

   "Sounds complicated, but I really want to play. When is your schedule?"

   "Early next year, I still have some technical things to deal with. If all goes well, it will be around the end of January and the beginning of February. Can you arrange your schedule?"

   "Yes, I have a small resident role in the new season of the soap opera 'Our Days', but they are going to write me to death, I will be free after late January next year."

   "Okay, I'll call your agent and send him the script."

   Then asked Mary Voronoff to play an important role, a female scientist in the doomsday base. She played the old-fashioned headmistress in "Rock High School" very well. This is a good actor who really has acting skills, but is ignored by the mainstream Hollywood.

   "Mary, I'm Ronald, I'm going to direct a new film, there's a female scientist role, do you want to play it?"

   "Ronald?" Voronov didn't realize which Ronald he was.

   "It's Ronald? He's a fast-paced director who was a temporary director at Rock High School. I just want to ask him..." A voice whispered to Mary.

   "Ronald, I'm glad you can think of me. Can you come to my house and talk in detail, I have something to do." Mary Voronoff put down her hand covering the microphone and said to Ronald.

   "Okay, no problem. I'll come with the script." Ronald agreed, just in time to chat with Mary about her thoughts on the script.

   (end of this chapter)