Exploiting Hollywood 1980.

Chapter 104
After a week of adaptation and welcome, Ronald officially started his academic career at NYU Tisch School of the Arts.

Roger Coleman supported the former director Martin Scorsese to shoot in Los Angeles. The film and television appreciation class taught by him at Tisch will be postponed, but Ronald still enrolled in the class.

The other courses are film theory, picture editing, and sound editing.Ronald signed up for these three courses based on his preferences and his previous work in New World.

The reason for choosing sound editing is also the reason why I plan to go to the San Francisco Diorama Company next summer and study with Walter Murch.Ronald wanted to lay a foundation. When he went to San Francisco to study, he should gain more knowledge and skills.

The first class at the beginning of school is film and television theory.All undergraduates majoring in film and television arts came to attend the class.Ronald chose a seat near the front, and an old man with gray hair walked in.

He was the teacher, a professor of Greek descent.The old man threw the information on the table and let out a sigh of "ah".

"There are dozens of idiots coming to study film and TV this year. Two weeks before the start of school, you can ask for a refund, so that you can get back all the tuition fees, and then quickly apply for a transfer of department or school to study some profitable majors. Right. If two weeks pass, this year's tuition fee will be considered in vain."

"Huh?" Ronald was a little puzzled. Is this a stand-up comedy talk show?There is no teacher who persuades you to quit in the first class.

Dozens of students couldn't believe the professor who persuaded him to quit, and everyone kept silent, waiting for the old man's next reversal.

"I know it's hard for you to accept, but the film industry is dying. Although there are job opportunities in TV, they are all occupied by affiliated households. What can you do if you go there? Studio assistants and camera assistants can do it with a high school degree. If you know the industry You can become an actor even if you are a star, so don't waste your time here."

No inversion!It is really persuasive.

"Coax..." The students finally couldn't bear it and started to discuss loudly.

A student stood up and questioned the old man's statement: "Sir, why do you belittle film so much? As the seventh art, it was America who carried it forward. We all have a dream of film, so we came to Tisch College of Arts to study film and television. , what good is it for you to say that?"

The old man was very pleased and nodded:

"It's a very good thing that you have a dream. But film and television should not be taught in universities, but should be learned on the set. In the 60s, New York University and Columbia University on the east coast, Southern California and UCLA on the west coast , have started to offer film and television majors, but this is nonsense. It is enough for undergraduates to teach film and television appreciation in universities, so what kind of film and television majors are offered?"

Angry and inappropriate, the old man went on:
"Do you know that in 1929, more than 9500 million people in the United States went to the cinema to watch movies every week? That was the golden age of the film industry. Four-fifths of the population in the United States went to the cinema at least once a week."

The faces of the students softened a little. This is what a professor of film and television school should say.Film is undoubtedly a great art.

"Do you know what this number is today?"

The students looked at each other, not knowing the exact number.

A nerdy student raised his hand, asking to speak.

"No, don't raise your hand, do you have the answer?" the old man asked the student.

"America's population is about 2.2 million now. Not so many people go to the movies. Everyone watches TV at home. If we divide the population ratio by 2 and multiply it by the total population, it should still be around 9000 million."

"Ha, you should be a scientist, not a filmmaker." The old man began to speak bitterly again.

"Your observation is actually very accurate. Among teenagers, especially male teenagers, the number of people who watch movies every week is still relatively high, so your observation is relatively accurate and your reasoning is very powerful. But you forgot an important The problem."

"You forget, adults seldom watch movies these days. Especially your mothers, there are no movies made for them in cinemas, and now housewives watch soap operas at home."

The old man glanced around at the students, then cut off his hand and made a strong gesture.

"At present, only more than 2000 million people in the United States go to movie theaters every week, which is equivalent to one-tenth of the population. In a rapidly shrinking market, even if you do your best, what's the use? It's like cars replacing horse-drawn carriages. Companies that make carriage wheels, their market share is getting higher and higher, and their products are also very good, but in the end they are dead.”

"What about TV? You just said that there are many people watching TV." The nerdy student asked another question.

"What kind of skills does TV need? It's nothing more than a few cameras shooting, and then the director switches. The perspective of protagonist A, the perspective of protagonist B, panorama, do you still need to learn? Now no one makes movies as meticulously as Hollywood did back then. It's all about sharks, spacemen, and selling toys."

The old man shook his head again.

"Among you are not from millionaire families, you should change to a major that can make money. There are only three ways to study film and television, making TV commercials, making factory teaching films, and making documentaries. None of them are easy to do, and the income is not good. High, might as well go to real estate sales."

The old man said to himself, and the students below felt very cold.Ronald was also a little discouraged. Could it be that it was a mistake for him to study in university?How about working hard with Cameron in the new world?Maybe I can also become an assistant director now, making progress in the industry.

"Remember what I said, there are still two weeks, you can regret it and get a refund, and after two weeks, you can only refund part of it. Of course, your father is a millionaire, or a Hollywood movie star is excluded."

The old man finally stepped onto the podium and began to give lectures.

"Film is an art that is about to die. What we are now teaching is the archeology of film. You can also listen to the great films and know what heights the films have reached. Then look at the current show You can decide for yourself whether you want to quit or not.”

The old man began to give a formal lecture, film archeology... no, it's film theory.

“We’ve all heard the term—Auteur. The New Wave Chinese people proposed that only one director, who has mastered all aspects of the film, especially the final decision on editing, can be called a creator—Auteur… But before that, there were no classic movies in Hollywood? Of course not..."

Ronald didn't listen to the old man's lecture much, and was thinking about his own thoughts like everyone else.Although it is a bit strange for the teacher to persuade you to quit, what he said does sound reasonable.When an industry is booming, all boats are rising, and when the industry declines, only a few people can eat enough.

The point is, are you part of that minority?

The recession of the industry also means that there are fewer opportunities for newcomers. Do you still have a chance to stand out?
Joining a trade union has become a very difficult task now. Thinking back to the time when the film was booming, the established membership rules might not have been harsh at that time.

After class was over, two or three students immediately rushed to the college office to apply for department transfer and refund.The rest are also discussing whether to change majors.

Ronald sat alone for a while, it is better to ask more experienced seniors to understand more about it.

　I was busy with other things last night, and the update was delayed in the morning, sorry.Normal update in the afternoon

　
(End of this chapter)