Exploiting Hollywood 1980

  Although Ronald has decided that the indoor scenes will be moved to Toronto, Canada, but some scenes that have the transition between indoor and outdoor still have to be filmed in New York.

   If the indoor and outdoor scenes were shot separately in New York, shot in the Toronto studio, and finally synthesized on the editing table, there would be a technical difficulty. That is indoor and outdoor light, the color temperature is different.

  In this way, on different types of films, there will be different color styles, an outdoor lens, the balanced color temperature under natural light, and the balanced color temperature under indoor artificial lighting, the naked eye can see the obvious difference.

In order to achieve the edited footage, the audience does not feel abrupt, and a very complicated color grading needs to be done in the later stage, especially when the gap between natural light and artificial light is too large, and in the end it will still make the audience feel like they are in another movie. .

This kind of feeling is something that any film director should try to avoid, because this kind of jump will make the audience pull away from a daydream that the movie has finally woven, and the audience will feel that this is a movie. The idea will make the viewing experience drop several grades.

   So, preferring to look at the boring, staid face of the union representative, Ronald went to the corner bakery at 502 Henry Street, Brooklyn, which was rented in advance, and started shooting the first difficult scene.

  Martin Scorsese's parents, Charles and Catherine Scorsese, were wearing Italian-style coats and waiting to get their makeup done inside the small bakery.

   The two of them have also worked as actors before, but their main occupation is to open a dry cleaner in Manhattan's Little Italy. Father Charles ironed clothes and mother Catherine modified the hem of his pants, raising Martin Scorsese, an important director of America.

  The two also made cameos in their son's movie, and in "Taxi Driver", the two were photographed together as the parents of the character played by Jodie Foster and included in a newspaper report. In "Raging Bull," father Charles also played a named character.

   But the couple, not yet as husband and wife, actually appeared in the movie.

  Ronald saw them a little nervous, but he didn't care. Anyway, two very small characters, not the focus of the audience's attention, mainly used to lead to the story of Loretta, played by Cher, going to the Camarelli bakery owned by Johnny's brother.

"Wonderful!" Ronald saw the dresses of the two, Charles was wearing a top hat, and Catherine was wearing a down jacket with a fur collar, and he was complimented when he went up, "It's great, I know Marty's artistic talent now. Where did it come from."

   "Ah, hahaha..." Mrs. Scorsese was more outgoing, and was amused by Ronald.

"At that time, the camera will give you a close-up close-up, and then play the bakery clerk's girl, will give you bread, Mrs. Scorsese will take it, she will say goodbye to you, you usually go to the bakery to buy Just the bread, ignore the big guy."

  Ronald took a close-up shot of the pestle inside the counter, it's a big guy, and amateur actors can't help but get a little nervous.

   "Just call me Catherine. When Marty made a short film before, she also made me the heroine. I know how to do it." Mrs. Scorsese was very satisfied, and this time both of them had close-ups. This son's friend is really good, more important than the role he himself gave his parents! …

  “a!”

   Arranging the lights, Ronald called Start.

   "Thank you, Mrs. Foggage. Here's your bread, see you tomorrow."

  Catherine Scorsese took the bread, and she was still nervous in the face of the huge close-up, her throat was a little itchy, and her voice became smaller, "Goodbye!"

  Charles Scorsese was even more nervous and couldn't help but made a swallowing motion. He turned back and went out first, and then Catherine took the bread and went out with him.

   "Bell, bell, bell..." The bell on the door remembered that Loretta, played by Cher, was still wearing that boring dark gray coat and black leather boots, passing the Scorsese couple and walking in.

  Cher went to the front of the counter, into the close-up range. Ronald looked at the monitor and nodded to DP David Watkin, no need to stop.

   "Is Ronnie Camarelli here?"

   "He's in the barn, why are you looking for him?"

   asked the clerk behind the counter, with a bit of hostility in his tone.

"I have something to talk to him about." Of course Loretta played by Cher is much more sophisticated than the little girl's clerk. She knows where this kind of hostility comes from. She hasn't met her yet, but her fiancé, Johnny, hasn't been seen for a few years. My brother Ronnie is more curious.

  A clerk with messy hair came out of the counter and bypassed Loretta.

In terms of body shape, she is a very typical little Italian girl, walking a little stiffly, wearing a floral coat on the upper body, a white shirt inside, a long green skirt on the lower body, and grey woolen stockings on her feet. A pair of bulky thick-heeled leather shoes.

   At first glance, she is a girl who has just started falling in love. She is not very good at dressing herself, but she is better than invincible in youth.

  The clerk walked to the door, turned his head to Loretta, motioned her to follow him to the bakery opposite to meet Ronnie Camarelli, who was baking bread there.

   "cut!"

  Ronald is very satisfied with their rivalry.

   Saved this for printing after consulting David Watkin.

   "How am I doing?"

  The female clerk ran over, opened two big eyes at Ronald, and asked the director's opinion like a spoiled child. Change the dull look just now.

   "Very good, perfect!" Ronald smiled and patted the actress's head.

   She is Diane Lane, and she came to play the role of this female clerk in the past two days.

   Ronald did not hesitate to praise, but Diane's acting skills still exceeded his expectations. After makeup, Diane not only looks like an Italian girl, but also her walking figure is obviously carefully designed and has many details of life.

   The culture when she played with Cher, clearly had the kind of anger that this girl knew in her heart when a woman came to find her crush.

   But when she heard that the other party was looking for Ronnie for something, she quickly performed her duties as a clerk and did not make her own decisions. It's like the kind of good girl who works in the store of relatives, friends and elders.

   It can be said that this performance is beyond the little acting skills required for a cameo role. Diane's serious preparation for this role made Ronald very emotional. …

   If it wasn't for Coppola who delayed her three films in a row, and now Diane has such acting skills, as well as her appearance and fans accumulated in the past, she must be a heroine with big productions.

   "This character is a little smaller to you, but because this is a middle-aged love story, so..."

   Ronald admired Diane's performance. Her acting skills, to play a small role, can greatly enhance the intoxicating weight of the movie itself.

Just like Roger Coleman's high feet, Jonathan Demme said, the whole movie is one, any small role, if you can find the audience's favorite actor, then the overall level of the movie can be raised one level.

  Although it is not intentional to use high-profile actors to play low-profile supporting roles, the actual effect is that this "moonlight is sultry", any supporting role is taken out, and it has the acting skills of playing the leading role in other movies.

   "Don't say that, I'm already very happy. This character is very enjoyable to play."

   "It's hard for you to wear such ugly clothes." Ronald helped her tidy up the collar, indicating that he had to continue.

   "Oh", Diane stopped chatting with Ronald and ran to the side to wait for the next shot. Her eyes were always on Ronald's body.

   "Brother Ronnie is interesting enough", Diane was actually quite happy.

   This small role is not a simple cameo. And it's not a vase-style role, it's a role with content. Although the makeup did not highlight his beauty, nor did he wear beautiful clothes, the three simple scenes would leave a very deep impression on the audience.

   It can be said that among all the small characters in this movie, this character is the most impressive to the audience. He has already acted in several not-so-good films, and if there is such a film that fully exerts his acting skills, perhaps which film critic can recognize him and mention himself?

   The next scene was an exterior shot on the roadside.

   Chris, played by Diane, reluctantly takes a woman (Loretta) to meet Ronnie, who has a crush on him.

   Out of the store, she strode in front of her because she didn't want to talk to Loretta. Such an awkward state of mind made her walk stiff, as if to escape the unmistakable reality that Ronnie, who had a crush on him, knew other women.

  Loretta, played by Cher, followed behind. The two turned a corner and reached another road at the corner of the street. From the entrance of a basement, they walked into the roasting room.

   "cut! Very good, very good! Let's have another one."

   For a little more security, Ronald called the second bar. In fact, from a performance point of view, there is no need for this. This kind of play performed without careful rehearsal is the most emotional.

  Ronald stood far behind the camera and could smell Diane's reluctance.

   When it was time to eat at noon, the representative of the Actors Guild came to point to the watch and signaled to Ronald, asking Ronald to stop filming and ensure the right of all the actors and staff to eat.

   Ronald didn't want to argue with him anymore, pulled down the New York Yankees baseball cap, sat down in the director's chair and closed his eyes. …

  Diane brought him a hamburger and a can of Coke and pushed him. Ronald woke up, grabbed his hamburger and Coke, made a toast with Diane, and gulped.

   "Cheers!" Diane laughed out loud, really came up and touched Ronald with a Coke can, and then took two sips.

   "Oh, it's rude to disturb other people's sleep, beautiful lady."

Next to    is DP David Watkin who actually sleeps in a chair.

   "Sorry, we woke you up." Ronald apologized to the witty Watkin. When they worked together on a Saab commercial in Sweden, and when he and Walter Murch collaborated with him in Britain on "Return to Oz," Ronald knew he had a personality who liked classical music more than cinematography. old man's habit.

  When he was on the set, he especially liked to sleep where he could. This is also because Watkin's level is too high, and many lighting arrangements can be made immediately with just a glance, and the lighting group will meet the requirements immediately.

   Of course, it's also because of David Watkin's special habit of thinking, he always likes to simplify things rather than complicate things.

   For example, for an indoor light, he likes to simplify it into a single light source to achieve the effect, rather than a complex multi-light source system. In Hollywood's lighting method, the camera is deflected by 15 degrees, and the lighting needs to be re-lighted to keep it consistent. And his single light source lighting method, how to move the camera indoors, does not need to re-set the scene.

  Diane looked at Watkin, then at Ronald, very incomprehensible. "Mr. Watkin, do you always sleep when you're on set?" Coppola's crew, when he and the cameraman knew Steve Barron worked together, wanted to discuss the light between every shot. and camera movement.

   "Of course, what else is there to do on set that will keep you from getting more tired? Only sleep!"

   "Hahaha..." Diane laughed at him.

"Mr. Watkin is a very philosophical person. The dot matrix light source he invented, also called Wendy's light, allows us to re-light the night scene without having to walk five meters, saving many anxious directors. "

   Ronald explained Watkin's philosophy to Diane, and not all DPs can fall asleep on set.

   "That's right, Ronald. When I communicated with Murch before shooting, he said that his factory is now taking care of his clip tape, and you have invented and made a light fixture yourself?"

   Hearing Ronald talk about his beloved invention, the Wendy lamp, David Watkin stopped dozing off and leaned over to ask Ronald.

"Ah, that's not an ordinary lamp, it simulates the effect of lightning. It is much brighter than the electrician's short-circuit method commonly used in Hollywood now, and the film is reproduced very well. Some Broadway stages are also used." Rhone De looked at Watkin and replied.

   "Then what, my Wendy's lights are also made by hand now, can you work with me, just like the model you work with Murch?"

   "Of course, if you want, you can use the patent to invest in shares, and then we will work together to sell your Wendy's lights to all Hollywood crews who need to shoot night scenes. Wouldn't it be great?"…

   Ronald saw that he had a small business, and he also came to the spirit. After discussing with Watkin, the cooperation was finalized. Then they called their own people individually and asked them to discuss the details.

   "It seems that I can watch more operas and listen to more symphonies in the future, and I can also start recording the Rachmaninoff Concerto No. 1 played by Rubinstein."

David Watkin and Walter Murch had a lot of chats about "Moonlight sultry" before. He was surprised to find that Murch, who was in poor financial situation because he failed to become a director, showed him it. In the family portrait, several children are wearing decent public high school uniforms.

   After chatting with him, I realized that I used my invention to partner with Ronald, and I earned some money from dividends. After paying off some loans, I could change schools for my children.

Watkin trusts Murch, who is also a tech giant, but he is not like Murch. He has the grace to teach Ronald. Today, I just took the opportunity to express the idea of ​​​​what he wants to partner with. Ronald hit it off.

   I don’t know why this little invention can still sell for a good profit.

   Ronald is also very happy, he has another good product, and he is facing the same market, marketing and channels can share the cost.

  Lightning lights, clip tape, set tape, Wendy lights, all these products have in common is that the user does not pay for it himself, but buys it for the job.

   For them, being able to save themselves a little something, can make up a lot of reasons for the studio to pay for it. The studio doesn't care about these small money. As long as the things are good, it can speed up the efficiency and prevent accidents. The cost saved by one day less shooting is dozens of times the price of these devices.

  The staff changed their shifts and came back one after another, preparing to shoot the scene in the basement roasting room.

  Diane also got on the public trailer for the afternoon scene. She looked at Ronald again before getting in the car. This man is actually very kind, and he will bring good luck to those around him. A lot of people with him have become richer. No wonder he's so popular in Hollywood.

  “a!”

  Two hours later, the lighting team set up the lights, and David Watkin gestured ok to Ronald.

  “a!”

   "Ronnie, Ronnie"

   Chris, the clerk played by Diane, pushed open the door of the bakery.

  The camera gradually receded and saw more of the environment of the baking room. This is a rather rough place. There are a lot of baguettes in the oven on the wall. This is a oven specially made by the people in the oven for filming.

"Someone's looking for Ronnie." Chris, played by Diane, let Loretta into the barn and stood by the door, frowning, trying to see what Loretta and his crush Ronnie were. relation.

   Although it was late autumn, the people inside were all wearing singlets and sweating. Makeup was sprinkled on them, creating a sweaty effect.

   Nicolas Cage on the other side was wearing a small vest, his thick chest hair was exposed a lot, and the messy hair was standing up. At first glance, it was a big volcano full of hormones.

   "Are you here for my brother Johnny?" He looked at Loretta coldly.

   In the shot, Loretta, played by Cher, walked towards the camera from the door, and Chris, who was behind her, was still standing there, uneasy. …

   David Watkin here uses the hyperfocal technique that Orson Welles introduced to Hollywood, resulting in a deep focus effect.

  In the current aesthetic trend of movies, in many scenes, when the focal length converges on the characters close to the lens, the lens with a shallow focal length will put the background characters and environment behind them out of focus and blur them out.

   But in this scene, Watkin is a bit against the trend, using the deep focus effect that was popular when black and white sound films in the 1930s just appeared, the background characters in the distance, and the characters close by are all in focus and kept clear.

  Loretta's change of expression when he was talking to Ronnie, and the expression of Chris, the clerk behind him after hearing the conversation between them, were all captured without error.

  Although Ronald was on the small monitor, he couldn't see the expressions of the two of them. But when the film is developed, developed into prints, and shown on the big screen, the faces of the two actors, Cher and Diane, will become the focus of the audience's attention.

Therefore, Watkin also deliberately made the two actors stand on the same axis, only staggered by a little angle, so that when the big screen is presented, the audience does not have to constantly go back and forth between the faces of the two, just stare at Looking at a spot on the screen, you can see the different moods of the two characters.

In this kind of film that wins by plot and actors' performances, this kind of narrative technique is very important. Deliberate design and arrangement, as well as the coordination and execution of master characters during shooting, can present to the audience a kind of effortless, The effect of knowing what the director wants to say.

   "Yes", Loretta got closer and closer, talking to Ronnie, the character behind the camera.

   "What are you doing here?"

   "I'm going to marry Johnny, so I want to invite you to the wedding..."

   "So, you're going to marry my brother Johnny? I'm dead, and my brother Johnny took my life."

   "Excuse me?..." Loretta, played by Cher, showed an inexplicable expression in the camera. I invited my fiancé's younger brother to the wedding, why did he say life...

   "I don't understand what you said?" Loretta didn't understand, but deep down, she seemed to understand a little bit of Ronnie's original impulse and **** in life, which was destroyed by Johnny.

   "Johnny is getting married, and now he has a meaning in his life, I haven't, I've been deprived of it by him."

"I didn't come here to be angry with you..." Loretta has to explain that she was temporarily separated from the radiation of Ronnie's exuberant vitality and regained her senses. She was just looking for her fiance. The talking brother went to the wedding.

   "What is life!" Nicolas Cage suddenly raised his voice, "What is life!"

   "They all say bread is life, but I'm in this hot little house, making bread, bread, bread every day..."

  Cage took the baguettes out of the oven viciously and threw them in the blue.

   "I'm here every day with stinky sweat, shoveling this stinky bread ball in and out with a shovel, where is my life?

  You want me to go to your and my brother's wedding? Humph? sweetheart? So where is my wedding? "…

   "Chris, give me the biggest bread cutter on the wall, I can't do it..."

   Chris, played by Diane, was almost moved to tears by Ronnie standing there. Such a man, how come there is no woman to love him?

   "No, Ronnie, I won't give it to you." Diane was there, yelling in the Italian accent he had just learned.

   "Chris, give me the knife...I want my own..."

   "Maybe, I should come at a different time." Cher was taken aback for a moment, she didn't know whether Ronnie was telling the truth or just fooling around.

   "No, I want you to watch here." Nicolas Cage said fiercely to Cher, "Do you understand me?"

   "Mmmm", Cher shook her head.

   "It wasn't anyone's fault, it just happened." Nicolas Cage took off the glove from his left hand, which contained a wooden prosthetic hand.

   "I got engaged five years ago and my brother Johnny came to see me. He wanted to buy me some bread. I was distracted talking to him and the bread cutter cut my hand.

   is fun, right? My fiancée found out that I was disabled and left me. "

"This is the misfortune between you and Johnny? But it's not Johnny's fault? It's not anyone's fault, it's just bad luck." Loretta, played by Cher, heard the brothers' hearts for the first time Knot.

   "I don't care!" Nicolas Cage suddenly burst out and knocked out the free iron bucket in front of him.

   "I'm out of hands! I don't have a wife! Johnny still has his hands! Johnny still has his wife! You think I'll just reconcile with him and go to his wedding?"

  Loretta was taken aback. In her life, there has never been such a man with strong primitive instincts. She was not worried at all that the other party would hurt her, but expressed sympathy for his misfortune.

   "It's a matter of time, a man opens his eyes in the morning and kisses his dream goodbye."

  Nicholas Cage put away his temper, as if the anger just now consumed too much energy. He spoke to Loretta softly, as if speaking to himself.

   Everyone in the roasting room was shocked by this huge contrast. A man like Ronnie, after giving up his dream because of an accidental disability, became a person who shovels dough in the bakery every day. It is a huge tragedy in life.

  The camera was aimed at several people, and there were several reaction shots.

   Xue Er was shocked and expressionless, but the surging impulse in her heart almost wanted to break through the boundaries of reason. Like Ronnie, she gave up her dream because she was called a broom star.

  Chris' eyes were red, and she tried her best not to let the tears flow. The man who has a crush on him is indeed a man with big dreams, so pitiful.

   A tear finally broke through the barrier of the eye socket, and flowed out of Diane's left eye.

  The tears accumulated all her strength, so that she instantly broke through the obstruction of her cheekbones, lips, and chin, and fell to the ground.

   "I love him, but I never told him because after he lost his fiancée and a hand, he couldn't love anyone again."

   "cut!"

   "Crack, snap, snap..." After waiting for a few seconds, everyone, led by Ronald, began to applaud for this wonderful performance. …

   All the actors were perfect and it was a perfect show.

Not only the performances of the two protagonists are very good, but even the small role played by Di An is also very good. It was the first time that the two corners met, and suddenly they had a heart-to-heart connection, like a couple who had been lovers for many years. This is a very abnormal and incomprehensible plot. It is presented from the perspective of a bystander.

  Ronnie Camarelli is a man with a lot of dreams. He lost his fiancee and his dreams because of a disability.

   And Loretta once had a dream that was suppressed for a long time because of social pressure and prejudice against widows.

   On a specific occasion, I was touched by the monologue where Ronnie broke out and said what was on his mind.

  Especially Nicolas Cage, who imitated the performance method of the early German expressionist film "Metropolis", asked the wooden fake hand hoarsely, "I have no hands, I have no wife!"

   If it wasn't for Cage, a particularly explosive actor, the performance would be much less effective. Such unreasonable characters and plots must be driven by reasons beyond common sense. This kind of explosive power is exactly what is especially needed in moments that need to shock the audience as well.

   And this kind of crazy character must have a degree of certainty. Immediately after the explosion, Cage ran out of energy and turned to whispering, so that the audience would be shocked and become someone who could understand the reason why Ronnie suddenly went crazy.

   This kind of balance between madness and normality is indeed not something that ordinary actors can play freely. If it wasn't for Cage being influenced by his uncle Coppola, who watched "Metropolis" every day to understand his acting skills, he would not have been able to achieve such a seamless performance.

   saw David Watkin make another ok gesture to Ronald. Several actors calmed down and started hugging and congratulating each other.

  Ronald was also relieved. The second most difficult scene to shoot was finally passed with the great explosion of the acting skills of several actors.

   Ronald picked up a baguette and broke it apart. The baguette just came out of the oven was very crisp and delicious. Ronald also broke off a small piece and handed it to Diane, took out a handkerchief thoughtfully, and asked her to wipe her eyes.

   "I didn't expect your explosiveness to be so good." Ronald never thought that this kind of supporting role is actually a bit harder to play than the protagonist.

   After all, the protagonist has a natural foreshadowing and the opponent's reaction stimulation.

   This kind of supporting role has no background story in the front and no reaction from the opponent's play in the back. It all depends on your own imagination. And it must be able to perform at a high level. Diane's performance is not bad with those old Broadway plays.

   "Hee hee, I've been acting in the experimental troupe 'mama' off Broadway since I was 4 years old, and I even played with Meryl Streep."

   "So you are also an old showman, the young kind." Ronald laughed and rubbed Diane's hair.

  Diane finished her role and went back home to reunite with Daddy Bert.

  The crew then filmed several location scenes at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York and in the Catholic Church.

   Because of a one-night stand with her fiancé's younger brother, Loretta came to the church to repent. The godfather "severely" criticized Loretta and ordered her to recite two "Roses" to atone for her sins. The mother at the church helped him cover up not coming home for the night and having a one-night stand with Ronnie. Loretta is surprised to learn that her mother finds out that her father, Cosmo, is having an affair.

   Later Loretta and Ronnie went on a date to see an opera at the Opera House. In the opera house, he found his father and his lover also watching the opera "Bohemian", and the two father and daughter knew each other. Cosmo complained about his daughter, you are the one who got engaged, but his daughter retorted, "You are the one who got married."

When    was filming these scenes, Ronald was too happy. Screenwriter Stanley Shanley's writing skills are really strong, with only a few strokes, he writes the characteristics of Italians vividly.

  This movie will be a very different movie from other movies that reflect the life of Italian descent. There are no gangsters and songs and dances, but people can tell the story of Italian descent at a glance.

   Soon, the location scenes in New York were finished.

  Representatives of the union are really strict. During the Christmas and New Year holidays, the crew is not allowed to work overtime in New York.

   Ronald had no choice but to disband the crew one day in advance. Everyone went back to finish the holiday, and they were flying to Toronto in the New Year to shoot in a place without a union.