Exploiting Hollywood 1980 Chapter 59

  Chapter 59 Actor Studio

   Producer Da Silva and director Parker got into the car and drove to the hotel.

   "Why did you promise Ronald the script attribution? We are in a contract to buy the script from Christopher Gore, and the price of $5,000 includes his sole attribution."

"Otherwise Gore couldn't have sold us at this price, he's not a newcomer. MGM bought the script from me later for $40,000. Gore hopes this movie will hit the Oscars, he thinks I agreed to be nominated for Best Original Screenplay."

   asked Da Silva, who was driving.

   "I have no choice, David," replied Alan Parker in the passenger seat.

"This is a teen film, you, me, and Chris, we have all bid farewell to adolescence for 20 years. Now children, what do they like, what do they recognize, their aesthetic preferences, their common vocabulary, and we all already have generation gap."

   "I originally planned to go to the Academy of Performing Arts to go deep into life during this time, stay with those children, and observe everything about them up close. But now..."

"I'll ask the script doctor to help me with the revisions. I'm looking for revisions to the teen dance film 'Saturday Night Fever'." Producer Da Silva stepped on the gas, "but if Ronald really wrote it What do you do when the script is available?"

   "In Hollywood, a verbal contract is not worth a single piece of paper, who said that?" Director Alan Parker asked with a smile.

   "Sam Goldwin said it." Da Silva also laughed, "Then why did you promise him to sign? Give him the script doctor's asking price, can't sign, won't he try his best?"

Alan Parker was silent for a while: "I think Ronald is a man who focuses on long-term interests, not short-term interests. You gave him $6,000, and he didn't buy a fancy Pontiac, but a practical one. And the fuel-efficient Dongying Honda."

   "This kid has lofty goals. For someone like him, the signature of a script at this stage is far more important than the $20,000 to be a script doctor."

"Only by giving him hope for career advancement, not money, will he write with all his might, and will he spray his most sincere insights on the typewriter like vomiting blood and turn them into words. I don't want mediocrity, I Outstanding!"

   "What are you going to do then?"

   "Isn't the lawyer hired by the crew to deal with these things? Besides, he may not be able to write a satisfactory script. Let's talk about it later. The most important thing now is to deal with the issue of high school in acting, David."

   "I asked a friend to find out that the main power of the School of Performing Arts lies in the hands of the school administrator. The school administrator who targets our school also serves as a member of the New York Public Education Commission, and manages the funding of all public schools..."

   Ronald, who didn't know anything about it, returned to the artist's apartment.

   Meg took the initiative to come to Ronald's apartment and helped decorate the room with a little bourgeois aesthetic. On the wall of the living room, she hung a few Indian-style stickers, and also brought a few plastic flowers, which were moved from side to side.

   Ronald was so happy to watch Meg help him clean up the house, grab a Coke in the fridge, drink it sweetly, and watch Meg busy while drinking.

   "Bell bell bell..."

   Ronald walked inside and picked up the phone.

   "Ronnie, you haven't called Auntie in a long time." Aunt Karen asked with her mouth open.

   "Aunt, I was just about to call you. I have a good photo business in Manhattan, and I found a casting company to be their long-term photographer."

   "That's right...it's a company that selects actors for film directors, so they often take pictures."

   "What? Got an email from me? What is it from the Director's Guild? Oh no, that's the Directors' Guild. Yes...it's my membership card. Well, I'll go back, Auntie."

   "Ronnie, come and see my work," Meg called him from outside.

   "Ronnie, that's a girl's voice right? Remember to take her back to Staten Island to see us." Aunt Karen said with a smile on the phone.

   "Okay, Auntie, I have to hang up. I'll go home later tomorrow to pick up my membership card, yes, I've recently joined the cast to help with casting, and time is tight. Love you, Bye"

   "Here I am, Meg." Ronald ran into the living room and hugged Meg, "your taste is the best."

   Meg stuck to Ronnie like an octopus and kissed him.

The sweet smell of    made Ronald take a few steps and put Meg on the sofa. He was wrapped around his neck by Meg, and the two were entangled.

   After a long time, Meg took the jeans and T-shirt, took three steps and opened the door to the inner room.

   "click, click," Meg opened two doors in a row and went to take a bath. The train apartment is badly designed, you have to traverse two rooms to get from the living room to the bathroom.

   If it is a shared lease, there is no privacy at all. So Meg prefers to run towards Ronald.

   Ronald picked up his shirt and trousers and walked into the room. "I'll send you to the actor's studio to sign up tomorrow?" he said to Meg over the air.

   "Morning? I'll come here to see you tomorrow morning." Meg opened the door to talk to him, showing her head and one arm, wiping her hair with a towel.

   "Just in time, I'm going back to Staten Island in the afternoon, will you go with me?" Ronald said and opened the bathroom door, "I'm here."

   "Ah, ha ha ha ha... no"

   "Aren't you going to Staten Island?"

   "Not... um..."

   Meg still didn't agree to go to Staten Island together, Ronald thought it might be a little early, and when they could live together, the time should be ripe.

   Early the next morning, the two got into the car and went to the actor studio to sign up.

The    studio is located near Hell's Kitchen, in an inconspicuous roadside brick house on West 44th Street. Ronald would have almost missed the place if it weren't for the large flag hanging above the white door and the words "Actor's Studio" written in the shading of the capital A.

   Knocked on the door, and the staff asked them to fill in the audition application form. This confused Ronald: "Isn't this an actor's studio? A place to train acting?"

  The staff wanted to come and see such stunned young people like Ronald, and pointed to the history introduction on the wall.

  The original Actors Studio is a club-style place created by Lee Strasbourg, Elijah Kazan and others to learn about acting skills.

   To join the actor studio, you must go through audition selection. Those who have no experience in film or theater performances are generally unable to pass.

   "This? The Actors Studio is a club? How many more rounds of auditions are needed to join?" Ronald was a little confused, he asked the staff: "Then do you charge tuition?"

   "There is no tuition fee. As long as you pass our audition, you will be a lifetime free member. The audition is also free, but if you fail the audition, you must apply again after one year."

   Ronald and Meg looked at each other, "Can we go with two profiles?"

"sure."

The two left in disappointment, and Ronald said in the car: "Then what do we do? Meg. Last time I heard Julia Taylor say that there was a Stella Adler at NYU who also gave an actor training class. ."

"No, look here," said Meg, pointing to the founder on the profile, an old man with a white beard, "I remember my sister Jennifer said about him, Lee Strasbourg, one of the founders of the Actors Studio. 1. He also started acting training courses.

   "Really? Let's look for it."

   Lee Strasbourg's theatre training academy is on 15th Street, but closer to the artist's apartment. The reception here is much more satisfying.

  A staff patiently explained various long and short courses and charges. In the end Meg chose the 12-week, 12-hour course that starts next week. This is just in time to complete most of the acting training before the final start.

   Ronald wrote a check for $980 to pay the full training fee. From next week, Meg will spend 2 hours a day training her acting skills, and Lee Strasbourg, who is in her late 80s, will give them their first lessons in person.

   Resisting the temptation to have dinner with Meg, Ronald hurried back home to Staten Island.

   Aunt Karen's expression was much better than last time. The financial relief greatly relieved her mental stress.

  After dinner, Ronald played with Donna for a while, and Aunt Karen took out an oversized letter.

   cut open the envelope, and sure enough, the director's union's card had arrived.

  The new president of the Directors Guild has reformed the card. The new version is no longer a cardboard card, but a plastic card the size of a credit card, which is very modern.

   After reading the various union benefits explained in detail in the letter, what impressed Ronald most was the director apprenticeship program provided by the directors' union every year.

  Once the application is accepted, you can follow the famous directors into the crew and watch how they direct the film step by step.

   Aunt Karen came over to say good night to him, "Ronnie, don't forget to come back with me for two days on Memorial Day at the end of next month."

   "I will, Aunt Karen." The last Monday in May is Memorial Day. At this time of year, Aunt Karen gathers with her deceased husband's former comrades-in-arms and widows. This is an important party that she attends every year.

   Lying on the bed, I started thinking about changing the script. Ronald went back and forth to sort out his thoughts.

  Eight protagonists, what kind of ending can you think of to make the audience feel both real and gratified?

   Completely clueless. When I was in high school, I didn't belong to that literary circle, and the wrestling team was also a relatively unsophisticated sport, unlike the quarterback of the football team, who could casually date girls who learned musical instruments and dances.

   did not understand their dreams and pain at all. To write a wonderful ending, we must observe more of their daily lives.

   Ronald is self-taught here, and he had the same idea as director Parker.

   When you were in high school, what kind of performances did you like to watch?

   During his years at Totville High School, every time he saw the orchestra, dance team, cheerleading team, Ronald envy their artistic talent.

   In the eyes of a wrestling team like myself, being able to dance ballet, play the violin, and somersault are all very powerful skills.

   For someone like myself who doesn't know the inner skills, seeing the violin playing a harmonious melody and the ballerina spinning in the air is like seeing a magician's child.

   In fact, showing these skilled skills in the eyes of laymen, isn't it a wonderful thing to watch?

   The few songs and dances in the dream are also because of their inability to do it, so they are more exciting, right?

   Ronald turned over, got up, grabbed the ballpoint pen, and replayed the three episodes in his mind while writing on the manuscript...

   (end of this chapter)

Chapter end