Exploiting Hollywood 1980.

Chapter 293 Have you ever fallen in love with someone?

"You weren't selected, and Coppola gave the apprenticeship paid by the Directors Guild to a relative in the upper echelon of Warner Bros. You have to understand him, Ronald. Coppola is in a bad financial situation right now. The movie turned around. It is impossible for him to refuse the request of Warner executives."

Ronald heard the bad news from his agent Nisita the next day, and he had to settle for the next best thing:

"Okay, I understand. Rick, can you please contact Director Coppola for me, I want to consult him in person about the consistency of actors' performances, I only delay him for half an hour. I know you can help him finalize Coppola will agree to a distribution contract for the new film.

Can you help me?when i owe you once? "

"Hahaha", Nisita's serious face suddenly burst into laughter, "Although the position was not given to you, Coppola wants you to help the crew and be his special assistant. Because of financial constraints, he can only give you The minimum wage will be paid after starting the machine.

So he asked me to ask you. He knew that you had already directed a feature film, and he was afraid that you would not accept such a basic salary position. "

Ronald was overjoyed, "It's okay, it doesn't matter, I don't mind giving it."

As long as you can see how the big director handles the consistency of performance at a close distance, you can arrange it in any way.There is no place to spend money to learn this.

"This is the place of work, the studio of the diorama. Remember to help Tom Cruise and other contracted actors of CAA." Nisita handed over a list.

Above is the list of actors signed by CAA to participate in the audition. There are more than a dozen of them. Nisita and Paula's clients are specially marked with asterisks.

Ronald, who happily accepted the job, came to the "Diorama" company's studio in Los Angeles to report the next day.

"Coppola is very busy today, he asked me to teach you how to use this new toy, and then started filming the audition video."

The one who spoke was Fred, the casting director who had worked with Coppola for ten years. He was once in charge of casting the godfather.

Ronald picked up a video camera on the table. It had a black appearance and exquisite metal processing technology. On it was the manufacturer's logo "SONY" of Dongying, and under the logo were the words "BetaCam".

"It's produced by the same manufacturer as the Walkman." Ronald thought to himself, and picked up the machine casually and carried it on his shoulder.

"The zoom of the lens is here, and here is the buckle for installing the microphone. After it is installed, it is right next to the lens. The sound reception within five meters is very good."

"Here is the video button... Hey, have you used this little toy?" Audition director Fred saw that Ronald had found the video and stop buttons, and skillfully buckled the hood of the viewfinder on his right eye. Surprised.

"No, I'm using it for the first time, but his button design is the same as that of the video recorder, and it is also in a convenient position." Ronald put the Betacam video recorder down from his shoulder.

"You can connect a tripod below, and you will be responsible for the audition for that position." Fred pointed to a corner of the studio, where there was a small "room" surrounded by wooden boards.

"Here are the videotapes. Each disc can record three 10-minute pictures and sounds. When the end is near, there will be a red light warning. You remember to replace it. This is the audition log. You remember to write down the names and other information of each audition actor .

Then ask them to report their name, age, height, and which half of their face is more photogenic when they audition.Then you ask them some character-related questions, here is the list of questions.By the way, actresses are not allowed to wear makeup. "

"I understand."

Ronald turned on the Betacam, sat across from the camera, and began, "My name is Ronald Lee, I'm 22 years old, I'm six feet two inches tall, and I don't know which side of my face is more photogenic."

The audition director Fred pressed the stop button, and then connected the camera to the TV, "My name is Ronald Lee..." Just now Ronald took a picture of himself, and it was shown on the TV.

"A camcorder?" This Betacam can not only shoot, but also can be connected to a TV to play. It's really a good toy, but it's a bit too big, so it's not suitable for taking it out for play.Although he is much smaller than the current general-purpose camera.

"How much does this thing cost?"

"It hasn't been officially launched yet. This is a sample given to Coppola by Sony in Japan."

Ronald set up the tripod and set up the camera in the temporary audition room surrounded by wooden boards.Then spread out the audition journal on the table with a list of questions and ask Fred, "How many actors are auditioning today?"

"Actors from all over America under the age of 35 are here."

It seems that Director Coppola's appeal is still very strong. Although there is only a budget of less than 1000 million, the size of the actors who came to audition is almost the same as that of Leon's 3000 million US dollars.

Sony's BetaCam still has a little problem. Its three color channels are not equal, and the shot is slightly green, which is different from the color of the real world and has a sci-fi feel.

"Please tell me your name, age, and height." Ronald turned on the video button and asked the first actress to audition to introduce herself.

"Kate Capshaw, I'm five feet seven and a little bit more." The actress raised her hand in a gesture of "a little bit."

Capshaw has blond curly hair, and she is probably close to 30 years old. She is trying to use playful movements to make herself look younger. Looking at Ronald's smile, she knows that her little trick has been seen through, and she smiles awkwardly With a sound.

"What age range do you think you can play?" Ronald knew that she deliberately didn't talk about her age, but he had to ask clearly, so he used a less hurtful method.

"Ah, that's a very good question." Capshaw lowered his head sadly. He is over 28 years old and has not yet had the chance to make a famous movie.

The heroine of this "Urchin in the World" is only 16 years old, and the agent urged me to try it again and again, "What if Coppola likes your appearance?" These are the original words of the agent.

She sorted out her emotions, then looked up at Ronald behind the camera and said, "I think twenty...", she looked at Ronald's eyes, and adjusted her answer, "21..., Twenty-one to... thirty? What do you think?"

Ronald felt that the actress was about to cry, "You answered very well, and Director Coppola will notify you when he has seen everyone's auditions."

"Next person……"

Actresses filmed audition videos one by one. As the audition director said, actors under the age of 35 all came from all over Hollywood and Broadway.Ronald and another audition assistant are in charge of a video recorder that shoots audition tapes of actresses.

At the other end of the studio there were two VCRs filming male actors' auditions.

"Hi Ronald! Why are you here?"

Ronald looked up from behind the camera. This was an acquaintance he hadn't seen for a long time, the star of "High School of Rock", PJ Souls.

"Hi, PJ. I'm auditioning for Director Coppola. Are you auditioning?"

Ronald couldn't help but sigh the charm of director Coppola. PJ Sauls is 32 years old, and he also came to join in the fun to play a high school student.

"I'll try it casually. In fact, I'm here with Dennis." Saul's husband, Dennis Quaid, is 28 this year, but he looks young, and the eldest brother who plays the leading role may have a role.

"Okay, you introduce yourself to the camera." Ronald wrote PJ Souls' name in the audition log, and let another audition assistant operate the camera.

"The tapes are out." Ronald reminded the audition assistant.

"How did you change this?"

Ronald picked up a blank videotape and put it on for him.The two exchanged places again.

"Next person……"

This time it was a beautiful woman who walked in, a well-known youth idol in the whole country, and the photography assistant stood on the table without saying a word.

"My name is Brooke Shields, I am 16 years old, and I am six feet tall."

"Huh? Brooke, you're here too." Ronald poked his head out from behind the camera.

"Hey, Ronald. Is that your director? What did my mother say it was Francis Coppola?"

"I'm just his assistant." Ronald quickly denied, "Let's do it again, you say to the camera."

Ronald rewinds ten seconds and starts recording again.

"My name is Brooke Shields, I am 16 years old, and I am six feet tall."

"Have you ever fallen in love... with someone?" The audition assistant saw that Brooke Shields was a little excited, and stammered out an audition question.

"Well, I haven't really fallen in love with anyone, if you mean romantic love. But I love my mother, my classmates, and my fans.

You know, I did 'Endless Love', and 'Blue Lagoon', and on screen I could play a girl in love. "

"Okay, thank you, Brooke. Director Coppola will watch the audition together, and will notify your mother Terry when the time comes."

Ronald shook his head secretly. Although he didn't know why Coppola asked this question, the heroine "Cherry" in the novel was a girl in a relationship, and Brooke's audition did not show a state of love.

Brooke's acting skills are always questionable, and while her looks are perfect for the role, her fame helps the film's marketing, as long as she dyes her hair a reddish blond.

"You know Brooke Shields? Can you ask me for a signed photo?" The audition assistant smiled and came up to beg.

"You can ask her yourself, her mother is also there, and she is willing to ordinary fans."

The audition assistant ran out.

"Next person……"

"Please introduce your name, age, and height..." Ronald looked at the screen behind the camera and pointed at the chair, and then semi-automatically said the opening remarks of each audition.

A figure squeezed into the frame of the camera. He was quite tall and wore a turtleneck sweater. His brown hair was a bit golden in the camera. The shawl was loose and a little disheveled.

"My name is Helen Slater, I am five feet eight inches tall,"

Ronald smiled and asked the audition question, "Have you ever fallen in love with anyone?"

"Yeah, I feel that love is the first feeling, a kind of flame, a kind of lightning..." Helen said to the camera with a pair of big blue eyes.

Ronald felt that Helen seemed to be talking about love in an orthodox Shakespeare accent. Was she studying drama in the performing arts college?
"Okay, Director Coppola will watch the audition video together, and we will notify your agent when the time comes."

"Also, Helen, do you have any plans at noon? Shall we go have a cup of coffee?"

"Ronald?" Helen covered her mouth with her hand and smiled in surprise.Then she fixed Ronald with wide eyes and asked, "Are you asking me out?"

"You wait for me to audition for the last few before noon, and we will go to the nearby cafe. Didn't you say that you came to Los Angeles to interview for a big project? I thought it was Leon's 'Once Upon a Time in America'."

"I will also go to 'Once Upon a Time in America', which was recommended by my mother's agent. This 'Urchin of the World' was recommended by my father's agent. They are all works of great directors, and they are here today. How many hundred people?"

"There's still a lot tomorrow," Ronald was busy recording Helen's audition records.

Helen saw that Ronald was lowering his head to write the interview diary and changed the videotape, "I'll go out and wait for you first, and come to the door to find me when you're done."

"Okay, just wait for me."

Ronald auditioned several more actresses, and during the lunch break, Coppola also came to see his auditions.

"A total of ... actresses were interviewed in the morning. Shall we continue at one o'clock in the afternoon?" Ronald reported the situation.

"Good job, we will start mixed interviews after the primary elections are done in these two days." Coppola looked at his watch, you go to lunch first, Ronald, we will start on time in the afternoon.

Ronald hurried out to find Helen. The date was less than an hour, and he was really nervous. "What does the mixed interview mean? Could it be Coppola's secret? His 'Godfather' casting is perfect, and I have to learn from it."

Helen Slater was picked up at the entrance of the studio, and the two went to a nearby cafe for a light meal.

"Both your parents found you an agent?"

"Yeah, the agent my father found always restricted the roles I could cast. There were some revealing scenes in 'Once Upon a Time in America'. He refused to let me go, saying it was my father's intention. But my mother was very open-minded. She recommended Another agent of my company put me in touch."

"Isn't your mother a lawyer? How do you know a show agent?"

"It's interesting to say that the agent also supports environmental protection and anti-war, and participated in the activities organized by my mother. He also discovered Christopher Reeve, who plays Superman..."

"Did you graduate from acting academy in New York?"

"Yeah, let me tell you, the students there are very fond of 'Fame' written by you. Now the TV series version has been aired on MGM in New York, and the character of Leroy in the movie version is still the original version. The actor... but Erin Cara who played CoCo is not playing..."

"That's Gene Ray, I didn't expect him to go back to play the TV version of the same character..."

Ronald Los Angeles rarely has acquaintances to chat with.He felt that the quality of this simple meal was very good, and he seemed to be fully charged after eating,
……

"Bert and his daughter Diane are here," casting director Fred told Coppola, meanwhile, in the diorama studio.

"It's just at noon, and Ronald hasn't come back yet." Coppola looked at his watch, "It's okay, let her audition. I will operate the camera for her."

"My name is Diane Lane...Um, Diane Lane, 17 years old..." Diane became nervous for a rare moment, and mispronounced the accent of her name.Coppola is the director of "The Godfather", and his father Bert has instilled a lot in him, knowing that this opportunity is rare.

"Have you ever been in love with someone?" Fred, the casting director, asked.

"Did you fall in love with others? Yes, in high school." Diane lowered her head a little shyly, then raised her eyes, "Mmmm... the most important thing about falling in love with someone is to feel that way for the first time. You know Yes, um..." She laughed nervously a few times.

"It's when he peeks at him when he's not looking, and prays for him to look over, look over. But when he does look over, you avoid his gaze. Hehe..."

One of Diane's eyebrows was raised in a look that was a mixture of cuteness and shyness.

Casting director Fred quietly poked Coppola, "What do you think?"

"I think she is a living cherry (Cherry)."

(End of this chapter)