Exploiting Hollywood 1980 Chapter 72

   Chapter 72 Two-on-two dating

  After a strong audition and hard work by the directors and producers, the lead and supporting roles were finally found. In addition, there are 57 resident dancers and more than 500 group performances. There are only a few teachers left in the crew and it has not yet been determined.

  The choreographer has long reminded the director that the more time is spent on casting, the less time is left for dance and drama rehearsal.

  The casting that started before April has been dragging on for a long time, and the director decided to start the dance rehearsal immediately.

   All contracted dance resident actors receive a weekly salary of $785 starting from rehearsal. . Rehearsals 5 days a week, with two days off on weekends. Including Meg Tilly.

  Producer David Da Silva has been very busy during this time. The New York Academy of Performing Arts rejected the revised script submitted by the crew. It is said that Ronald circulated advertisements on the campus to seduce almost all the graduating students to audition, which once again angered the school.

   Therefore, the idea of ​​the crew renting the campus of the Academy of Performing Arts for filming also fell through. Da Silva had to travel all over New York looking for exteriors and interiors to use.

   After drawing on his Latino connections on the city's board of education, he finally got permission to film at Harlan High, an abandoned high school in midtown Manhattan.

  Harlan High School not only has a similar architectural appearance to the Performing Arts College, but also the two schools are very close to each other, separated by a road.

   MGM invested $200,000 to redo the interior and exterior of the campus. In the original practice room of the high school, the professional ballet carpet was first re-laid, the practice facilities were updated, and the practice room was first opened to the dance rehearsal team.

   This is the second time Ronald has filmed in an abandoned high school since he joined the film industry. The closure of many public high schools in recent years has been linked to the Vietnam War and the hippie movement.

  America's baby boomer generation, which began to appear after World War II. Large numbers of people have multiplied, and states have opened a large number of elementary and secondary schools for this baby boom.

   However, this baby boom came to an abrupt end in 1965, when the United States was deeply involved in the Vietnam War.

   Hippies no longer marry and have children, economic stagnation and the liberation of women from the family to work have also greatly reduced the average number of children in the family.

   In addition to several ethnic groups who believe in Catholicism, because abortion violates the doctrine, it also maintains a high birth rate. Fertility rates for other white Europeans fell sharply.

   In the first year of the end of the baby boom, babies born in 1966 are now just the age to enter high school. The decline in enrolment has resulted in the closure of a large number of schools because they cannot recruit students and make ends meet.

   Ronald walked into Harlan High School, which was reopened after a year of closure due to the movie. The door was an MGM carpentry workshop. Every day, the carpenters started to work, creating some one-off sets that were not useful.

  In the beginning, Ronald found that every morning two trucks were parked outside the carpentry room with logs, without unloading them, and then pulling them away at night.

After    reporting to the producer, Da Silva told him not to make a fuss, a necessary waste.

The next day, the director of photography selected by the director also flew in from the UK. The first thing to do when he got out of the jet lag in New York was to let Ronald drive to buy two latest cameras and rent them to MGM. to shoot this film.

   Thinking about how you bought your car, the equipment, vehicles, transportation and other fixed expenses in the crew, it is indeed a good place for those in power to divide the territory.

  The casting work is basically over. Ronald theoretically has no permanent job in the crew, as long as he helps the director change the script at home. But the producers let him watch the dance rehearsal.

   Meg saw him come in, and turned away silently. The dancers have been surprised. The two did not quarrel or communicate.

   Ronald went to the production office next door to chat with the producer first.

"Mr. Da Silva, it's very hot in the practice room today, summer is here, the temperature is already 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius), and it's only higher in the practice room, if you don't install cooling measures, I'm afraid some people will suffer from heat stroke in the next two days. ."

   "I see, Ronald. I'll let them buy air conditioners, the safety of the actors is a big deal." Since Madonna's audition failed exaggeratedly, Da Silva became more and more satisfied with Ronald. I chat with him every day to keep track of the progress of the rehearsal and the movements of the actors.

  60 boys and girls, in a practice room, rehearse and rest for 8 hours a day, inseparable, you can imagine what happened. Ronald's daily report allows him to keep abreast of the movement and quietly supplement protective measures. He doesn't want Hillary's story to appear in reality.

   "No, my director of photography, Michael Seresin, just surveyed the venue yesterday. The air conditioner was installed, and the air-conditioning would cause poor lighting during shooting." Director Parker quickly denied it.

   "Then let's bring four big fans, the kind used on the set. When taking a break between shots, they blow at the actors." The producer thought of a compromise.

   In the afternoon, a truck drove into Harlan High School, removed four large floor fans, and sent them to the practice room.

The    dancers cheered loudly, but soon they were disappointed.

  The humming noise is very hindering the rehearsal. Open for a while during the break, and the hot air blown by the fan can't make you cool much.

   Dancers who were originally hopeful are now full of disappointment, sighing, and the quality of their rehearsals has declined. The choreographer grabbed Ronald angrily, "You have to find a way to cool me down, or the actors will lose their energy."

  Ronald reported to the producer again, dragged in two large refrigerators, froze two boxes of ice cubes, and placed them in front of the fan, and the dancers finally began to cheer.

   "And Coke" Ronald opened the lid of the glass bottle and handed it to the choreographer. "The refrigerator can supply each dancer with a bottle of iced Coke a day by the way."

   Now even the choreographer is happy, "You are really good news, Mr.".

   Meg also got a bottle of Coke. She looked at Ronald who was surrounded by everyone and thanked him, and finally couldn't help but walk over.

The    dancers are all young people and know that the two have something to say. Antonia Francesca gestured to everyone, and everyone separated, giving them a private space.

   But everyone pricked up their ears and waited to see this rare live gossip.

   "Ronald, I'm very angry, the character who said my lines belongs to someone else... But the past is gone, I will return the money for the acting training to you."

   "You said it very clearly, as long as you feel OK."

   "Okay, I'll go to Los Angeles to find my sister after I finish filming, and I'll develop in Hollywood in the future, and you'll have to go to school in New York."

   "Then... may your dreams in Hollywood come true." Ronald held out his hand.

   Ronald took his Coke, walked to the corner of the practice room, and drank it quietly. Sure enough, roles and close-ups are the culprit of all actresses, even newcomers like Meg who can only enter the industry because of her own recommendation.

   The crowd didn't see the play, and they dispersed in a hurry.

  Leroy's star, Gene Anthony Ray, ran over to complain: "Ronnie, don't be sad for that bitch, I'll introduce you to Lucy, a girl from Harlem, we black girls are very good."

  Antonia Francesky also came and interrupted Gene's nonsense, "You know what girl. Ronald, don't mind.

   Ronald smiled, and the two of them were considered to be recommended by themselves to the crew. In a sense, they were "Ronald's people".

   "You seem to get to know someone very quickly"

   "I can tell who is pretending and who is real since I was a child." Antonia became serious, "For example, I knew at a glance that Gene didn't feel..." She made a "girl" mouth shape.

   "Sister Hey, who said that, I won't be with you in the movie..." Gene smiled and made an obscene gesture.

  Ronald was a little surprised. Gene's background was complicated. He came from the streets of Harlem. He was so muscular that he could throw a ballerina high and flutter, and he wouldn't lose a fight, but he was very kind to Antonia.

   And Antonia really has a pair of eyes, and saw through Jean's orientation in a short time.

   "Hey, Ronnie, look at me," Gene patted his chest, "Which black girl do you want to date? It's Erin Cara, and I can let her sneak out on a date with her agent behind her back."

   Ronald smiled just as he was about to refuse, when a sudden movement occurred in his heart, just taking the opportunity to win over his own people from the crew.

   "Stop dating, let's find a place to eat something delicious, and find another place to play?"

   "Then I'll call Lucy, plus Antonia, just for a two-on-two date."

  It happened to be Friday. A few people got on Ronald's Honda Accord, discussed it, and decided to go to Little Italy to eat pizza first, and then go to a late-night movie.

   "Wow, Man, are you a BMW?" Gene envied Ronald's car.

   "No, the Honda brand of Dongying people is not as expensive as BMW. They imitated BMW's front design." Ronald replied, "If you are popular, there will be some in the future."

   "I recommend Margherita pizza, with cheese and fresh basil, it tastes great, and some Wall Street traders come here for it," Antonia said.

   They are all children of poor families, and none of them are gourmets, and they all agreed to listen to Antonia of Italian descent.

  Italian pizza tastes really good. Compared with it, Domino's pizza is just toasted bread. Unfortunately, the margaritas here are not delivered, so you can't come here often to eat.

  Jean shrugged his shoulders to the music of the restaurant, Donna Summer's new disco tune "Hot Stuff," which hit every restaurant and nightclub in New York.

   "Let's talk Cheese together" Gene took out his new toy Polaroid camera again, and we all leaned together and took some group photos.

   "Our black girls are the best, aren't they, Lucy." Gene began to promote Lucy, who was also from Harlem. Lucy puffed out her chest when she heard the words, with a look that he was right.

   "You're great, but Ronald might not like yours." Antonia laughed.

   "You know what, the darker the blackberry, the sweeter the juice..." Lucy argued in disapproval.

"That's good, I have to put him in the lines." Ronald took out his small notebook, took out a ballpoint pen, and stopped to ask Lucy's opinion, "Would you mind, Lucy? If you don't want others Just read your lines and forget about it."

   "Do I have a chance to read?" Lucy asked with bright eyes.

   "I didn't want to lie to you, no." Ronald stopped writing.

   "It doesn't matter, you can write it, it's no big deal." Lucy knows her position as a group performer.

   "That's right, Lucy. Ronald is my eldest brother. He covers me, so I can cover you." Gene was very satisfied with Lucy's sense of taste.

   Today is the starting point for double monthly passes, ask readers for a monthly pass.

   (end of this chapter)

Chapter end