Exploiting Hollywood 1980

   Chapter 5 starts shooting

   Director Allen gradually approached, followed by his inseparable good friend Joe Dante. Dante is almost 5 feet 6 inches (about 1.70 meters), like a guard on a basketball court hiding behind a center and dribbling forward.

   Walking in front of the crowd, Joe's head flashed out from behind Allen, and his mid-parted hairstyle couldn't hide the fast retreating hairline. He grabbed Director Allen's arm with one hand, pointed at Ronald with the other and called, "Ronnie, Ronnie, how are you preparing today?"

"I just organized the group performance to practice twice. After the main actor's position and makeup, I waited for Director Allen and you to determine the main actor's costume. After 5 minutes, you can bring makeup and rehearsal. The director of photography said that you can start on time at 6:30. shoot."

   said, Ronald handed over the storyboard he drew yesterday.

  Joe Dante took a look: "Is this a storyboard you drew?"

   He took the initiative today and took on the role of director. While looking at Ronald's storyboard draft in detail, he instructed: "Bring Director Allen's chair here."

   Ronald saw that Director Allen was not in a good state. Hastily brought a chair. It is the kind of chair with the name written on the backrest, which is exclusive to the director. Ronald took the director's arm from Joe and helped him sit down with difficulty.

   The director was sweating on his forehead, his face was pale, and he looked a little bad. Ronald leaned closer, attached to the director's ear, and asked softly, "Would you like a cup of hot coffee, Director Allen?"

   Allen nodded. Ronald pulled his assistant Jim over and gently told him to bring a cup of hot coffee.

   "Very good, I'll follow your storyboard today. PJ, you're wearing the red one," Joe Dante said, handing the storyboard to the director of photography. The two began to discuss the details of the shooting:

   "The camera starts with a close-up shot to the freshman, then pulls back, then rises to give a panoramic view of the playground, and then pushes forward to the welcome platform of the Science Club at the Good Girl Xueba Station..."

   The two discussed it, Joe came over and spread out the storyboard and told Allen again. Alan nodded in agreement.

   At this time, the group performances returned to the playground one after another. Ronald picked up the electric horn and guided the group performances.

  The red-haired camera assistant started to put a black cloth on the film box to prevent exposure, and put his hands in the dark to install the film.

   The director of photography called the other two brawny assistants, and a few people started to check the installed camera arm, and it went up and down a few times to start the test.

   In less than a minute, the redhead touched the dark and installed the film in the black cloth bag. He came over again and picked up a roll of black tape and taped it along the edge of the film case. Low-cost movies are all rented second-hand machines, and I don't know the quality of the machines. So stick the gap with black tape to prevent accidental light leakage and ruin the film.

   After wrapping the film box, the director of photography began to instruct the assistants to lift the camera on the crane arm and install it, and then began to test the crane arm.

  Joe Dante, co-director, started talking to Day Young, who played the good girl...

  The crew is like a big machine, and all the staff are like gears. Under the director's order, they start to operate in an orderly manner.

   Ronald liked this order. A good director is like a general, the film crew is like a team of soldiers, filmmaking is a team job, and the director has to have leadership skills.

  The main actors and supporting actors stand their positions and get ready to start the rehearsal. Joe Dante negotiating details with the director in the chair.

  Ronald picked up the electric horn and started to organize a group performance to serve as a good human background. "Boys and girls of Van Nuys High School, we are about to start the rehearsal with makeup. Please occupy the previously determined positions, please stand in the previously determined positions..."

"Come to me from the football team, ok, your uniforms are great. You stand here at first, and when I give the signal, you rush to the map, pick up the freshman, and prank him away .do you understand?"

  The director signaled Ronald to start the rehearsal. Several actors began to act in a fake model. In order to save the best performance status until the official shooting, the actors in the walk and rehearsal were all clicked. The group act worked well together, except for one or two peeking at the camera.

  Director of Photography Dean Candy took control of the camera himself, climbed on the rocker arm, and walked through the camera movement trajectory of the official shooting. The director expressed his satisfaction.

  Ronald picked up the electric horn again: "Please stand at the beginning of the group performance." The leading and supporting actors also stood at the beginning.

  The staff all exited the range covered by the camera, and everyone waited patiently and expectantly.

  Joe Dante, the co-director, gave the starring Day Young two more details that need to be paid attention to. Everyone held their breaths, waiting for the magic light to arrive.

   Just after 06:28, the light in the air suddenly began to flow like an athlete who heard the starting gun. The sun had not yet risen over the horizon, but was slowly illuminating the sky and background.

   This is a beautiful color, the metal body of the camera has a light blue sheen, like a layer of armor on the body.

   The hairpins worn by several female high school students, and the large black-rimmed glasses worn by the obedient female high school tyrants, also began to glow faintly. Everyone seemed to dare not breathe, waiting for the magic light to come.

   The red-haired camera assistant trotted to meter the light in front of the actor, ran back to the camera, reported the metering data, and adjusted the aperture.

  The uncle who carried the long recording rod raised the long recording rod to the top of the actor's head, trying to get as close as possible to collect the sound, but kept it far enough to not be caught by the camera.

   "The light is just right!" shouted the DP.

   After receiving director Allen's look, Ronald picked up the electric horn: "Okay, let's take the first official shoot, get ready!"

  Jim cooperatively pressed the siren three times "beep...beep...beep..." This is the signal to notify the ban.

   Everyone is not whispering, waiting for orders.

   Ronald looked at the director, and Joe Dante motioned him to start. Ronald said with the electric horn:

   "A tape recorder?"

   "Open!" The recording team replied.

   "Camera?"

   "Full speed!" The redhead signaled that the camera's motor had sped up to 24 frames per second, ready to shoot.

   picked up the trumpet board, and Jenny ran to the camera and held it up, and began to say: "'High School Life' Game 127, first shot, first time."

   Lay down the slate with a snap, and then quickly exit the shooting area.

   "Start shooting. (Action!

   Alan Akush, who was sitting in the director's chair, said softly.

   "Start shooting! (Action!

  Ronald loudly conveyed the director's order with an electric horn.

   The show started.

   A freshman looked at the map on the wall, there was a red cross on it, and under the red cross it said: "Your location is here."

   "Where am I?" the freshman said to himself.

  The director of photography instructed the camera to move laterally, and then slowly backed away, slowly zooming out from the upper body of the freshman to his whole body in the framing frame, and then continuing to step back, the three rugby team players entered the painting from the right.

   "Oh, there's a new student here!" "New student, new student!"

  The members of the rugby team, dressed in competition clothes, rushed over to carry the extras who played the freshmen.

   "Where are you taking me!"

   "Put it in the locker!"

   "Oh no, don't throw me in the locker."

  The camera's rocker arm rose to the top of the head at a constant speed, and began to switch to a top-down perspective. The rugby player exits the camera frame carrying the freshman. Then the camera moved slowly, and the picture framed the welcome platform of the Science Society where the good girl Xueba was located.

  The camera points to the female scholar played by Dai Yang, one of the heroines. Begins to descend slowly and finally stops, pointing to the table in front of her.

   There are several bottles for chemical experiments on the table, which are filled with water of different colors of red, green and blue, and there is a sign next to it "Science Society, Kate Lanbao, Chemical Reaction Demonstration".

  Ronald stood not far behind the camera and watched the shoot. This is a rare highlight of this low-budget movie, which cost a lot of money and will be cut into the opening scene of the movie in the future.

   Today's first shot seems to be going well, secretly comparing the real shot and the revelation in the dream, the two are basically the same, Ronald nodded. I'll see if the director is satisfied, I'll leave this one for printing.

   But the director hasn't called to stop, it seems that there are some special ideas. Did you keep the footage longer for easier editing? Or are there other special artistic considerations?

   No, this is too long. The actor's expression had begun to freeze. Dai Yang, who played the good girl, began to turn her head to look at the camera. She was looking for the director and asked the director to give a signal whether to continue the performance.

  Why don't you call Cut?

   Ronald also turned his head to see what director Allen thought.

   A thin and tall man who is close to two meters. The director sat on the chair and began to tilt his head gradually. Do you use this angle to move the camera? No, how did the director...

   Ronald quickly picked up the electric horn:

   "Cut! Cut! Cut!"

   Everyone was startled by his hurried shouts, and they all turned their heads suddenly.

   "The director passed out!"

   (end of this chapter)