Exploiting Hollywood 1980

   Chapter 49 Ronald Lee Audition Portrait Studio

  After a few days of renovations at his aunt's house, Ronald went to the Richmond Savings Bank in town and took out a one-time home loan of $2,000.

   It happened that the account manager was a classmate from Ronald High School, and extended the remaining repayment plan, so that Aunt Karen could pay a lot less each month.

   However, NYU’s first-year tuition is $3,300, plus rent, books, and equipment rentals necessary for film majors, and Ronald’s savings is about to shrink dramatically.

   The immediate priority is to reopen a portrait photography studio in Manhattan.

  In the classifieds section of the New York Times, I found a real estate agent. Ronald talked about his needs on the phone in the past: 1. It is close to New York University. 2 Have a room for photography.

  The agent came to the ferry terminal in the afternoon to pick up Ronald the next day, and showed him three listings in one go.

  The first one is a studio in SOHO, a 1,200-square-foot (110-square-meter) studio that rents for $1,250 per month.

   is a whole big empty room, suitable for a real photography studio. However, it is not suitable for both commercial and residential use. Besides, the rent is also expensive, and the pressure of doing business every month is not small.

   The second is a small apartment in Brooklyn, with 2 bedrooms and 1 living room. The rent is only $280 per month. Although the distance is a little far, there is a subway connection, and it is only a few stops to New York University.

  The agent boasted that it was a historic house with a modernly renovated kitchen and bathroom.

   Ronald felt that the rent was cheap, and was a little moved. He agreed to go to the scene to see it, but he was disappointed.

  The original modern decoration means that the gas and hot water are connected, and the sense of history means that the house is very dilapidated, and the water leaks on rainy days, leaving traces on the walls.

   The third house is on the east side of NYU, at the junction of NOHO and East Village, at the artist's apartment on 2nd Avenue. The house is also older, but well maintained, a three-room apartment.

  There are restaurants opened by various ethnic minorities, including Jews, Italians, Ukrainians, Eastern Ying people, and Chinese.

   Across the road is a Kodak printing shop, and there is a deli and grocery store next to it, so life is very convenient. Wells Fargo is a block away. Ronald fell in love with the environment at first sight.

  Houses were low-rent housing built by the government for the poor in the past, but now they are rented apartments, so they don’t pay attention to reasonable layout, but pay attention to the rate of housing availability.

  The agent said that this type of room is called a train apartment. It is like three train boxes. The three rooms are connected in front of each other without corridors and entrances. Going to the shotgun room at my aunt's house is the same.

   A house that Ronald intends to use as a living room and a reception room for photography. The second largest room in the middle is used as a photo booth. The last one is used as a bedroom and study.

After    haggling, Ronald rented the second-floor train apartment for $500 a month. There is no elevator, so there is no need to climb too high.

   Chatted with the janitor, this kind of house does not have a separate water, electricity and gas meter, so it is shared by each household. After paying the deposit and opening the phone, Ronald began to prepare to open a photography studio.

  The apartment is full of artists, the kind that don't get along very well. Certainly not too bad, not relegated to hell's kitchen. Ronald found a Czech painter, and in exchange for taking portrait photos, let him do a simple decoration of his small apartment.

  Especially the portraits of Demi Moore and Natasha Kinski were enlarged and hung on the wall of the reception room, facing the door. In addition, a photo of Demi Moore was enlarged and posted behind the window on the second floor, with a few artistic words about audition photography written next to it.

   Ronald was very satisfied and went to buy a typewriter and a Sony TV, even if he settled down in New York.

   "The 29th West Berlin Film Festival, the Soviet delegation, and delegations from various eastern camps, collectively withdrew from the film festival, protesting Michael Cimino's exhibiting film "The Deer Hunter", slandering the North Vietnamese People's Army..."

   Seeing the old acquaintance Fat Boy on TV again, Ronald smiled, and he still took the road under his feet first.

  I typed an advertisement for an audition photo with a typewriter. After I was satisfied with the revision, Ronald went to the photocopying shop and made hundreds of copies. I will try it out in the neighborhood tomorrow.

   went out and bought some meat at the Abe Lebeval deli on the corner across the road. I went to the grocery store to buy some bread, cigarettes and wine. Ronald asked Czech painters to invite some of the artists from the household to have a party at the house.

   They are all artists, and they began to judge the audition photos of the two beauties taken by Ronald. The unanimous point of view is that Ronald is good at capturing the moment when a beautiful woman's mood is revealed, but he is poor in artistry and does not show the beauty of the beautiful woman's body.

   "I'm watching it for movie directors, you don't understand." Ronald scoffed.

   distributed some of his advertising leaflets to the "artists", Ronald hopes to have business coming to his door tomorrow.

   Sure enough, at noon the next day, someone came to the door to take an audition photo.

   It was a beautiful brunette who knocked on the door. When Ronald opened the door, he seemed to startle her.

  The beautiful woman shrank back like a frightened rabbit, and then smoothed her hair, "Are you the photographer who took the audition photos as mentioned in this advertisement?"

   A pair of eyes moved flexibly, wanting to look into the room. Compared with the flyer in his hand, he did not seem to believe that Ronald was so young that he was a photographer.

  Ronald stepped aside and opened the door wide, so that the beautiful woman could see the situation in the reception room. Pointing to the two samples on the wall, he said, "I'm Ronald, the photographer on the flyer, and this is my audition portrait studio."

  The beauty watched Ronald open the door, and there was nothing unusual in the room. She cautiously entered the room and observed the two audition photos on the wall.

   "Tea or coffee?" Ronald said, opening the kitchen door and getting a kettle.

   "Coffee is enough. Did you take these two photos?" The beautiful voice came from the living room.

"Yes, one is German actress Natasha Kinski, who has the leading role in Polanski's 'Tess'. The other is Demi Moore, who has yet to land a role in the film , but I think it's a matter of time."

  Ronald made a cup of instant coffee and served it to each other while chatting. Watching the beauty gradually relax after drinking coffee, Ronald began to ask, "Are you taking an audition photo for the first time, or do you want an update?"

   "First audition shot."

   "Would you like to do it in color or black and white? Audition for a drama or a romantic comedy?"

   Ronald asked, filled out the form, and handed it over: "Look at it, is that what you asked for, an audition photo, for the show, in color, 20 copies. It's $60 in total."

  The beauty took the form and looked at it carefully, Ronald had the opportunity to observe the beauty of the beauty carefully.

   His shoulder-length black hair was neatly combed behind his ears, revealing two silver earrings. A black velvet turtleneck top complimented her snow-white skin.

  Beauty is still comparing the project names and explanations one by one, and seems a little embarrassed to ask. A pair of dark eyes staring at the table, as if the choice between the main drama and the romantic comedy, stumped her.

   Looking at the beauty's black hair and black eyes, Ronald moved in his heart and suddenly blurted out: "Do you have Chinese blood?"

   "How do you know?" The beauty jumped up from her seat, "Who told you?"

"Relax," Ronald was taken aback by the beauty's actions, and quickly stood up to apologize, "I just have an intuition, I think your facial lines are very Chinese and very beautiful. I usually only publish in magazines. I have seen Chinese people in the past, so I asked you, no offense."

  Beauty wears a belt over her top, with blue lapis lazuli on the buckle, and jeans and sneakers. Dress in a bohemian style, wearing cheap clothes and jewelry with a very elegant temperament.

  The beautiful woman smiled, and yes, this photographer just moved in and doesn't know her situation. So he reached out, "I'm Meg Tilly, nice to meet you."

   "Ronald Lee" shook hands and the two sat down again.

   Meg seemed to have put down the burden and was no longer nervous, and began to confirm with Ronald one by one on the form.

   Then Ronald picked up the Nikon and started taking audition portraits of Meg. Meg is not very skilled in facing the camera, but she is in very good shape. Standing in front of the camera, she has an upward energy.

   "Did you study dance?" Ronald asked curiously.

   "Yes, I used to be a ballerina" Meg smiled, raised her left leg, and did a light standing split, placing her foot on the wall.

   "Oh, this pose is not easy, I have to take a picture. I can give it to you for free."  …

  Returning from Kodak's printing, Ronald handed over a large audition photo with Meg's name written on it, "You pin your resume on the reverse and you can show it to the agent".

Meg took the photo, but didn't leave immediately. She looked at Ronald with a long smile, swept her eyes to the ground, and raised her head again, "Ronald, I see you taking an audition photo for Natalie Kinski. , you also know very well how to take audition photos to impress the director, are you in the film and television industry?"

"I worked in a Hollywood production crew, and now I'm a freshman in the film department of New York University." Ronald likes to talk to this elegant girl, "I think your body is in good condition and your face is more photogenic, so you should There will be a place in the film and television industry.”

   "Really? But I'm not in the business yet." Meg began to look at her feet again and smiled shyly.

   "Of course, I also worked as a second-team director in the crew. I know who is suitable for movies." Ronald smiled, "Why don't we have lunch together, and I will slowly explain some of the requirements for entering the industry."

   "Are you asking me out, Ronald?" asked Meg with a smile, tilting her head.

   "Of course I formally invite you, Miss Meg Tilly, to lunch with me."

   The two found a Dongying restaurant and started chatting about each other's situation.

  It turns out that Meg Tilly's father was a Chinese businessman, surnamed Chen. Her mother divorced her biological father when she was three and took her to Canada with her sister.

  Canada, like America, has looming discrimination against Chinese people, and all kinds of opportunities will be reduced. So Meg kept the secret that she was half Chinese. I was shocked when Ronald said it just now.

  She studied ballet since she was a child, and then got a full scholarship at Skidmore College, a famous private dance academy in New York. Under the tutelage of the former New York City Ballet's head, dance master Melissa Hayden.

   Last year, she was admitted to the Connecticut State Ballet, and should have embarked on a career as a ballet dancer. It is a pity that in a training before going to Connecticut Ballet, I accidentally fell while being lifted by a male partner, and my back was seriously injured, so I can no longer engage in the dance career.

The toughness of   's character supports Meg to stay in New York and want to switch to a career in acting, but no matter whether it is film, TV, or Broadway, there is no way to enter.

  If she doesn't have a new job yet, and Meg, who doesn't have enough savings, may move to Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen area next month to rent a house and continue her dream as a waitress.

   The more they chatted, the happier they were, and Meg told Ronald about her predicament.

"I heard that all the actresses under 30 in New York are crazy now, MGM is going to make a youth drama, there are 10 starring opportunities. All the agents are selling their young actors to the casting studios. ," said Meg Tilly.

   "Where's your agent?" Ronald thought to himself, this was the second time he had heard of this casting studio.

   "I haven't got my SAG card, so I don't have an agent," said Meg timidly.

  "It's okay", Ronald took Meg's hand to comfort, "I'm going to the casting studio tomorrow, you go with me and see if there is a chance to recommend you."

   (end of this chapter)