Exploiting Hollywood 1980

  Chapter 915 Hairspray star dream big sale

   "Don't you have to apply for New York City Hall approval for this shot?" Director of Photography Michael Ballhouse asked Ronald. The first official shooting scene of the whole film is the interior scene of the Staten Island ferry immediately following the aerial shot.

Starting from the torch of the Statue of Liberty, it shows the atmosphere of the center of the universe in Manhattan in a panoramic manner, and then switches from the New Jerusalem-style metropolis to the dilapidated, dirty, and backward ferry, showing the poor blue-collar secretary who works on Wall Street. Life.

  The famous American director Orson Wells said that long shots are a sign that distinguishes adults from children. After almost all directors become famous, in order to prove their artistic value, they must show off their skills and take a long shot at the beginning, which is like a director's coming-of-age ceremony.

  Hitchcock used the "spiritual rope" to show off his skills. Except for the black screen for a few seconds after each roll of film was shot, the rest were all shot in one shot. The announcement of that film also featured Hitchcock's technological breakthrough as a major selling point.

Orson Welles himself opened with "Beautiful Woman" for three minutes, distributed in three blocks, with cars and walks, as many as 50 long shots of group performances announced, Hitchcock indoor play long shots It’s nothing, but those who dare to take outdoor long shots are the technical inventors.

  In the opening scene of "Empire of the Sun", Spielberg used a ship to cross the coffin on the Huangpu River and smashed open the coffin on the Huangpu River. The long shot metaphor of the impact of modernization on ancient civilizations proved that he can make epic films.

  Long shots are not entirely a show of skill. The opening of the movie should quickly immerse the audience in the dream brought to them by the director. The long shot with music always makes people feel the atmosphere inexplicably. Therefore, it has become the first choice of many directors for opening scenes.

   This coming-of-age ceremony is now Ronald's turn.

   But as we all know, Ronald does not have any technical cleanliness. It's not necessarily a long shot that runs through from the beginning. The last scene of the aerial photography was to fly from a high altitude to the same height as the ferry, then zoom in with a zoom lens, and finally freeze on the glass window of the yellow ferry boat on Staten Island.

  So Ronald chose the cut-off shot in the later cut, where Tess and Sheen are on the ferry discussing how Tess would celebrate her thirtieth birthday.

   To shoot the effect of the daily ferry, let the New York audience know that this is a real New York story. Ronald did not report to the city hall, rented the ferry, and then found hundreds of extra performers to solve it.

Instead, he directly brought in the camera crew, and let the two actors, Melanie Griffiths and Joan Cusack, put on leather jackets and coats, painted exaggerated makeup of the secretary, and mixed in like a real Wall Street secretary. On the ferry, I found two seats near the porthole and sat down.

  Such sneak shots can restore the temperament of New York, which is different from any other city.

  Ignoring the teasing of the director of photography, Ronald quickly found the angle of the sun, and then asked the photography team to shoot with handheld photography.

  There is a microphone on the camera, and the cameraman, carrying a heavy machine, walks quickly from the side of the cabin. If it were in other places, it would definitely attract a crowd of onlookers. But this is New York where the American citizens are the most arrogant. They talk on their own, and not many people pay attention to the movements made by these people.

   Very good, only one citizen leaning against the aisle looked at the camera twice.

   Ronald gestures to Joan Cusack, who plays Sheen. Joan Cusack turned her head and looked at Tess played by Melanie Griffiths, singing softly:

   "Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you..."

  The sound was not loud, it happened to be picked up by the microphone hanging on the camera, and also the voice of the people next to him, and various noises.

  On the other side of Joan Cusack is a real secretary. Her hairstyle is similar to that of the two actors. She is combed high and fixed with setting water. Two very large earrings are dangling with her turned head.

   Ronald smiled when he saw it. He couldn't tell the difference between the well-designed costumes, makeup and hairstyle of the crew, and the real secretary. This indicates that the careful preparations for the filming of this film were very successful.

What Xin held in her hand was a very small cupcake with three small candles on it. According to the script, today was Tess’s 30th birthday. Celebrate on the way to work.

  The real secretary next to Melanie looked at Melanie with curiosity in his eyes. While chewing gum, he looked over, maybe wondering if he wanted to sing together.

   "Hoo..." Melanie Griffiths blew out the candle.

   "Did you make a wish?" Joan Cusack said. Xin felt that it was too simple to celebrate like this. After all, it was the integer birthday of thirty years old.

   "Yes..." Melanie replied, and Tess looked in the other direction. Most secretaries would be married at this age, and she had ambitions. Melanie's face was facing the sun, and the light shone through her withered blond hair, casting a nice atmosphere on her face.

   "Cut!" Ronald was very satisfied with this shot, and it seemed that he made the right decision not to rehearse, but to go straight to it.

   Both actors are very experienced, and they have such a tacit understanding with each other. And when they come up, they shoot regardless of the situation, and the surrounding New Yorkers, before their attention is attracted, finish the matter quickly.

  Director of Photography Michael Ballhouse raised his hand to indicate that the picture is OK, Ronald asked them to put away the equipment and prepare to withdraw.

   "Are you making a movie?" The people around were awakened by the cut, and the female secretary sitting next to Joan Cusack asked Ronald, "Is it a Hollywood production? Or something like an advertisement?"

   For a while, the eyes of many people around were focused on this place. Although New Yorkers are not surprised by this kind of thing, if it is a Hollywood production, there may be some stars hiding nearby, waiting to come out and shoot when the time comes.

   "No, I'm a student at New York University, and we're here to take homework." Ronald immediately denied.

   "Drip...drip..." Just as the ferry started to sound its whistle, it was only a few minutes before we arrived at the hotel in Lower Manhattan.

  After docking, a group of people quickly joined the second group who were taking shots of the "America Legion" ferry docking at the pier, got in a Toyota van, and drove towards the World Trade Center.

"Student assignments at New York University...hahaha, I laughed so hard." Melanie Griffiths and Joan Cusack, both removing their make-up in the car, talked about how quickly Ronald answered the passenger, Almost shook them both.

   "Thank God, I haven't lost the craft I learned at Roger Coleman." Ronald also congratulated Michael Ballhouse.

  …

  The film crew officially entered the World Trade Center. After the stock market crash, many companies closed down, and there were not as many people in the lobby as expected. Ronald had no choice but to have the Screen Actors Union call in dozens of extras in the afternoon to film the scene of Tess entering the World Trade Center at work.

  The camera is assumed to be on the second-floor balcony of the World Trade Center. Telephoto on Tess and Sheen as they walk among a large group of extras.

  The longer the focal length of the lens, the smaller the field of view. The director of photography fixed the lens on the necks and heads of Tess and Xin. In the picture, there were dozens of people acting as a group, and he photographed the momentum of thousands of troops scrambling to go to work.

  The heads of Griffiths and Cusack both went up and down as they walked, and they were captured by the camera, as if they were the two mavericks in the herd.

  There is no way to record this scene on the spot, and post-dubbing must be used, but the two actors still spoke their lines meticulously.

   "I don't have lunch anymore, I have to take public speaking classes." Tess said to her good friend Xin, and declined the invitation to have lunch together.

   "What are you doing in speech class? You speak very well." Joan Cusack, who played Xin, imitated the accent at a very high level, and simulated the blue-collar accent of Brooklyn vividly. The open accent has replaced the closed accent in a large number, and it sounds like a poor man's temperament.

   "Then I will pick you up at five o'clock in the evening, and we will go to Staten Island together." Xin continued to work hard.

"No, I still have a lecture on emerging markets in the afternoon." The accent of Melanie Griffiths, who plays Tess, has also been adjusted by a pronunciation coach. Her Brooklyn accent is much weaker, but some Traces can still be heard in the words, the image of a woman who is working hard from the position of secretary and trying to integrate into a higher circle, can give the audience a foundation from the lines.

   "God, today is your birthday, why can't emerging markets wait?" Xin was a little nervous.

   "When is my birthday surprise party?" Tess knew what her friend meant, so she ordered it.

   "What surprise party?" Saying it isn't a surprise.

   "Stop pulling..."

   "Well, I should take you out for a drink after get off work and be home at seven. They're all there."

   "Okay, I'll leave early, and I'll be home at 7:15. Okay?"

  The two friends started bumping each other's shoulders, a kind of affectionate game only for little girls.

   Ronald is very happy, this is obviously Melanie Griffiths improvisation. Joan Cusack also reacted immediately and bumped back. The two hugged each other happily on the road.

   This kind of action is only for girls who grew up in poor communities at the bottom. Girls from rich families are generally forbidden by their mothers to make a scene, which is not elegant.

   As expected, they are talented actors. Ronald deliberately prevented them from rehearsing, so that the first performance was a natural, undesigned reaction. For such talented, well-trained, and film-making experienced actors, it is best to give them a little space.

   "Cut!"

  Although there was no recording at the same time, the mouth shapes of the two were recorded into the film by the telephoto lens. The director of photography said to Ronald that it was perfect. The focus follower has withstood the test and turned the focus wave wheel quickly without any false focus.

  The next thing to shoot is the scene where Tess and Xin walk out the gate into the lobby of a skyscraper to squeeze the elevator.

   Because of the laying of guide rails, there is no way to take sneak shots. In terms of the World Trade Center property, preparations have been made in advance. The most serious wave of rent withdrawals caused by the recent stock market crash is not the twin towers, but the No. 7 building behind.

  So this shot was shot in the lobby of Building No. 7.

  The prepared group performers, dressed in office workers' attire, began to enter through a row of transparent glass doors. The camera shot from the side at a forty-five-degree angle.

  The two characters Tess and Sheen walk through the door, and the camera starts pushing up the rails. The relative movement speed of the two sides is faster than real walking, which makes this shot look very fast. It seemed that there were really thousands of people rushing in.

  In short, everything went well, and the first day of shooting was successfully completed.

   After announcing the end, Ronald still needs to prepare for the next day's shooting, and then send the film to be developed and printed. You can see the printed samples at noon tomorrow.

  He and the crew are still waiting in place, and the actors are ready to leave.

   "Director, we're going to the bar tonight, are you coming?" Melanie Griffith played very well today, she came over and boldly asked Ronald if he wanted to go to Happy together.

   "Go ahead, don't go too far." Ronald had no objection to who would finish the filming, and the actors relaxed a little.

   "Then, bye..." Melanie hurriedly changed her clothes, went out and got into the car of the Hollywood investment banker. The two of them seemed to be really dating.

   "Ronald..."

  There is actually another reason why Ronald does not go to the bar, and that is to meet and chat with the "Hairspray" crew.

   This ultra-low-budget movie with very low investment was released in the United States two weeks ago. The distribution department of Daydream is very strong, and it has been linked to more than 200 theaters since the painting was launched.

   Unexpectedly, this dance film under the banner of the comedy version of "Dirty Dancing" was unexpectedly loved by the audience. The box office exceeded one million in the first weekend, and the cost was recovered by the second week.

   Ronald was very happy to hear Michelle Cannold's report, which shows that their strategy of focusing on low-cost genre films is off the ground, and the first film has achieved great success.

The main creators of the crew, director John Waters, Ricky Lake who played the fat girl, DragQueen who played her mother, Divine, and Cher's ex-husband who was just elected as the mayor of Palm Springs and has not yet taken office, Sonny Bo No, come to New York to do promotion.

  The box office was strong this time, and roadshows for the whole crew in major cities across the country began to be arranged. Ronald invested hundreds of thousands of dollars and added some central and eastern cities.

  The box office of the second week was even higher than that of the first week. When Ronald was happy, he changed the hotel where the cast and crew stayed to the most expensive and luxurious St. Regis Hotel in Manhattan.

   Several people came to the World Trade Center, met Ronald, and went to the St. Regis Hotel for dinner.

   "Director, thank you, my agent has received a lot of invitations." The heroine Ricky Lake spoke. She would have been in "Hairspray" and wasn't the prettiest actress either. But the unexpected explosion of the movie box office made Hollywood feel that this little chubby girl has a bright future.

"When you lose weight, don't lose weight too fast. Ask your agent to plan carefully. Many actresses in Hollywood lose a lot of good roles because they lose weight too fast." Ronald looked at Ricky Lake. I have lost a lot of weight, and I am already the same as the chubby girl in the movie.

   "I know, thanks."

"If you ask me, there's nothing wrong with being fat. There are too many thin people in Hollywood, but there are only a few fat girls..." DragQueen Divine is still very straightforward, and his weight is more than twice that of Ricky Lake. I can hardly sit down.

  However, he is already in his forties, and Ricky Lake is only in his twenties this year, which is exactly the age of Amy, so how could it be possible to walk in Hollywood with the image of a fat girl?

  However, the friendship between the mother and daughter in the movie has continued in life, and the two are very happy to fight and fight.

  Ronald chatted with Sonny Bono.

  Bono's luck has improved since he acted in Ronald's movie. During the election, because he happened to appear on David Letterman's talk show with his ex-wife Cher, his popularity suddenly rose and he successfully defeated the former mayor.

  After finishing the film promotion, he was ready to take office. In order to fulfill his promise to voters, Bono decided to start with his own expertise and hold a Palm Springs Film Festival. Learn how Robert Redford got that Sundance Film Festival to attract independent films.

Ronald reminded him that there are not many independent films in Hollywood, and Robert Redford’s film festival has been running for several years, and it cannot be compared in terms of popularity. It is necessary to find a suitable selling point in order to hold the Palm Springs Film Festival. Then drive Bono's own catering business, and Palm Springs' tourism and economy.

"I thought about it. Palm Springs can't compete head-on with Sundance. I plan to invite independent films from other countries to participate in the exhibition. There are many independent filmmakers from Europe and Asia. Enter the American market."

  Ronald was very interested in Sonny Bono's idea. He and Bono agreed that for the first film festival next year, they would contact the other side of the Pacific Ocean and send some films from there, Xiangjiang, Dongying, and other places to participate in the exhibition.

"Ahahaha... Divine laughed out loud over there." It turned out that his agent called him again. Because of the writers' strike, many TV stations in New York stopped their TV dramas, so they could only rerun or find some guests. Go on a talk show.

  The finale of the second season of the Fox TV series "Married with Children" was also interrupted by the strike, so they had to take out the old script of the first season and find some newest celebrities to participate.

  Anyway, this sitcom has a lot of canned laughs in the audience, as long as Divine used to use his live improv skills, come here a few times, and fool the last episode. Who makes him the "female" actor who is talked about the most by the media and brings unexpected surprises?

   Ronald stepped forward and hugged him, then congratulated him on his success. This "Hairspray", like "Dirty Dancing", also brought good luck to the main creator. All the actors have got more opportunities because of a movie that uses small things to fight big.

  Ronald is very happy about this kind of thing, anyway, the big studio system has collapsed. It is impossible for a movie produced by Ronald to tie up these original crews and make five similar movies of him. It's better to get together and get together and let these people go out to make money.

  Anyway, in Hollywood, no one knows all the secrets of success. If they are not popular at that time, they will come back to make sequels, which is the correct way for a small production company to survive.

   Besides, isn’t there a weapon called a video tape now? A movie that returns at the box office is equivalent to being able to make a profit on video tape. And "Hairspray", a film that has gained a certain momentum in the media, is equivalent to a video tape that will be sold after it is released, a very good advertisement. Ronald was happy to see all these main creatives get a chance.

  When they are interviewed, they will also be asked by the media what they think of the movie "Hairspray". It's all free advertising.

  (end of this chapter)