Exploiting Hollywood 1980

"Today, I want to present the Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award to my good partner and my good friend, Brock Peters. He no longer needs my defense. He played Admiral Cartwright in the two recent Star Trek movies, which also shows the progress of the equal rights movement in our country..."

"Wow..." After a round of applause, Gregory Peck presented the trophy and certificate to Brock Peters, the actor who played the wronged black role in "To Kill a Mockingbird" at the Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award Ceremony.

"Gregory will always be my good friend. Last year, I got a few traffic tickets and needed a lawyer. I picked up the phone and called him..."

The audience laughed. Brock Peters is a very popular black actor. Many black people in the circle have received his help and support. White people were also impressed by his performance because of the movie To Kill a Mockingbird.

So this time, the union award was given to a black actor for the first time, and he was chosen as the winner. Ronald also applauded and laughed in the audience. He sent Gregory Peck to present the award because the scene of the actor who died of illness in "Other People's Money" was re-edited and Peck needed to dub a line again.

"Thank you for your kind words about Yiou." After the award ceremony, Ronald personally drove Gregory Peck to his mansion.

The Academy of Motion Picture Technology and Arts was a little impatient that Yiou did not come. Such things were not what a big institution like them liked. Ronald talked to Karl Malden once, and the chairman was quite frank with him. Most of the directors disagreed with this, and some even proposed to cancel his nomination.

Director Wu was asked to testify, and Ronald persuaded Karl Malden that this was probably not Yiou's original intention. In order to convince those old directors, Gregory Peck was also invited to be a lobbyist.

Fortunately, Peck had a deep network among the old generation of Hollywood actors, and he had been to the mainland many times and maintained a good friendship with the filmmakers there, so he readily agreed.

The effect of the dredging was good, and the academy no longer cared about it. Ronald also asked Director Wu to find a way to contact them and ask them not to do such rude things again. If you don't want to participate in the competition, or don't want a certain movie to participate, don't send it in.

"You are very good, don't have any ideas about these people, winning an award cannot be achieved by public relations. I was there when the first Oscars were presented, and the designation of the film company boss is often useless. Wait for the opportunity, and then they will come up and beg you to accept the award."

Gregory Peck invited Ronald to sit in the garden of his home. He obviously saw that Ronald had a knot in his heart about not being nominated for Best Director, and told some Oscar gossip in the past to comfort Ronald.

"I know that voting is hard to say." Ronald accepted the kindness of the old man. This year's Oscar for Best Director is likely to go to Martin Scorsese.

Professional awards with a relatively large influence in the industry, such as the National Society of Film Critics Awards, awarded the Best Director to Scorsese, and praised it as another masterpiece since Taxi Driver and Raging Bull.

Of course, the American association was built from the bottom up. At first, the film critics associations of each city were established, and then the national film critics association came into being. So although this association is called a national association, its influence may not be as great as that of the film critics associations of a single city such as New York or Los Angeles.

In addition to these two cities, the Film Critics Association Awards are also well-known in Boston, Chicago, and even Dallas.

The Los Angeles Film Critics Association awards have always been regarded as a compass for Hollywood because many people have close ties with Hollywood.

This time, they all turned to Martin Scorsese's "Goodfellas". The film won the Best Picture, director Scorsese won the Best Director, and Joe Pesci won the Best Supporting Actor.

Kevin Costner lost in the Best Director and Best Actor awards, and even lost the Next Generation Filmmaker Award, which is a reward for newcomers, to a New Zealand female director Jane Campion, and only got a consolation prize for the second place.

This award is a bit like the Young Director Award or Actor Award. It is a good encouragement for fledgling directors or actors, but for an already famous actor like Costner, this consolation prize is actually not very meaningful. On the contrary, after not getting it, there was a sense of humiliation.

During the award ceremony, Kevin Costner, who was dressed in a white suit and elegant, did not show anything, but he still complained to Ronald for a long time afterwards.

He said that he felt like he was back at Meg Tilly's house, because the scenes he participated in were cut by the director, and he was insulted by those actors who appeared in "Big Cold". Even a cashmere scarf, a gift for all the main actors in the crew, was not given to him that night.

The two frustrated people talked about the unsatisfactory aspects of life, and they were also full of bitterness. Ronald took out the brandy imported from the country of Mao, and the two of them drank one glass after another.

"Hey, Hollywood is really a dog-eat-dog place. If you Ronald hadn't taken a fancy to me back then, I might have had to continue to be a carpenter for several years." Kevin Costner was drinking happily.

"Don't mention it. Back then, I was also a small director that no one was willing to invest in. It was good luck to have a good actor like you willing to act in it."

"Hollywood is so big, but there are not many real friends..." Kevin Costner wanted to drink, but the bottle was empty, "More?"

"Good guy, I drank them all. I didn't bring back a few bottles from Paris... Well, there is also a box of spirits that Chinese people like to drink here. Do you want to try it?"

"What wine?"

Ronald pulled out a white porcelain bottle of Maotai from the wine cellar, with a five-pointed star logo on it. "Want something to try?" Ronald poured two glasses into the whiskey glass.

"What kind of wine is this?" Kevin Costner frowned when he smelled it.

"Let me tell you, when Dr. Kissing and Commander-in-Chief Richard went there,... and... they drank this at the state banquet. After they came back, I heard that only distinguished guests visiting the White House were served a small drink. "

"Ah, it is indeed a good wine." When I heard that it had such a good origin, I couldn't say anything bad. Kevin Costner took a quick sip.

"ah……"

"Ah...it's really a good wine."

"well……"

Both of them were drunk at the end, so they couldn't say that they were not good drinkers. After drinking too much alcohol, my tongue was numb and I couldn't taste much, so I drank more than half of a bottle of white wine. Both of them were a little drunk.

"You can definitely win an Oscar. You have directed so many good movies. There is no precedent for the judges not to recognize good directors. Unlike us actors, many good actors have not won Oscars. Even Chaplin and Barbara Stanwyck nothing."

"You can definitely win an Oscar. Hollywood likes your appearance best. I'm sure you will win it."

"You take it first."

"No, you take it first."

Ronald and Costner were holding Moutai bottles as if they were holding Oscar statuettes, pushing each other to each other. But when the other party really wants to take it, they are reluctant to let it go.

"What's wrong with the two of them? Are they like kids in kindergarten, grabbing each other's toys?" Costner's wife came home after missing her husband, so she made a phone call and came here.

"I don't know that they still have such a side." Diane covered her face.

"Men are all children. Hum..."

Finally, it was Costner's wife, Cindy, who, with the help of the maid, dragged her husband into the car and drove him home.

…

"Are you awake?"

Early the next morning, Diane looked at Ronald who had a headache in bed and quickly brought him lemonade to sober him up.

"What did I do yesterday? Why can't I remember it at all?"

"You were drinking with Costner last night and they were both crying over not having an Oscar."

"Nonsense, I have an Oscar statuette, and it's still at my aunt's house in New York."

"Your song is the best original song, and it has nothing to do with the director." Diane covered her mouth and smiled. Ronald was actually a little uncomfortable inside, and he was drunk just to vent it out.

"I didn't really cry, did I? Not really, not really..."

"Then you have to bring back another little golden man, and you have to put one at home." Diane also picked up the phone and asked the kitchen to send a Chinese breakfast.

"Well, you'd better go to New York. Ang Lee's film is on. You have to go and see it. By the way, there are also awards from the New York Film Critics Association. Let's see how lucky you are there. In fact, the New York Film Critics Association's compass every year The effect is more accurate than the one in Los Angeles.”

Seeing that Ronald was feeling uncomfortable, Diane let him go to New York to relax.

"Oh my god, how come my Moutai was drunk..." Ronald just picked up the porridge and saw the open bottle of Moutai on the table. This was given by the leader after the women's volleyball team won the championship, and I didn't have many bottles.

Diane could only roll her eyes...

…

In Staten Island, New York, not far from Ronald's home, there is an old wooden house, which was used as the filming location for the house where the young couple lived in "Push Hand".

AngLee stood there, wearing a suit. Today was the first time since his graduation that he picked up the guide tube of a theater movie. He was very energetic.

Ronald was watching him from the side, observing his directing skills. He learned this from Roger Corman, observing the director's quality on the first day of filming, and then deciding how to handle it and how much power to give him.

AngLee chatted with the director of photography for a long time, and the actors also came to rehearse before finalizing the storyboard.

"A!"

Helen Slater in the foreground, with Long Xiong practicing Tai Chi in the background. This is a special scene that reflects the differences between Chinese and Western cultures. Lao Zhu, played by Langxiong, finally came to America and lived with his son and daughter-in-law. Because the wooden house is not soundproofed, the work and rest times are different, which creates conflicts.

It is normal for two generations to have conflicts because of their different living habits. If they are both Chinese or foreigners, it is not difficult to resolve them.

But because of Chinese culture, the old father believed that direct communication from the younger generation was disrespectful. In fact, both of them are not bad people and are very kind, but due to various conflicts, their son is pinched in the middle.

"Cut!"

Ronald stood in the back and nodded frequently. From the first shot AngLee took, he could tell that he was extraordinary. Whether the director has artistic ability can be clearly seen in one or two shots. With such a simple shot, he can also design it to make the audience realize that the biggest barrier between the two sides is cultural differences.

Some directors would shoot for several minutes without expressing the scene clearly, but AngLee can make the audience understand it immediately with just one shot. This is magic and talent.

It seems that I don’t have to worry about it, just give him the power.

After staying for a while, Ronald ran to the rest trailer, waiting for Helen Slater to come over during her break. The two hadn’t seen each other for a long time. When they met today, Helen’s acting skills seemed to have improved, perhaps because she was happy.

However, after waiting for a long time, Helen didn’t come, so Ronald ran to the scene again. Is AngLee so advanced? Don’t tire the actors out.

When I arrived at the scene, I saw that AngLee was explaining the scene to Long Xiong and Helen Slater again. This is a more complicated moving shot. The camera first points to the two people, and then shakes to the other side, where Helen plays the daughter-in-law in her room, and Long Xiong plays the father on the other side.

This is another metaphor, Eastern and Western culture, in the two bedrooms.

However, this shot was not taken well after several times. In addition to the need for good cooperation between the actors, the movement of the camera itself is also quite complicated. First, you have to use hyperfocal distance to shoot, then shake, add a medium shot and moving picture, and change the focal length significantly.

There are many places in this that need to be clearly explained to the audience, which is a test of the director's scheduling ability and the technical ability of the camera crew.

Ronald soon discovered that this crew didn't have much money, and the people they hired didn't have enough technical ability to do such complex movements. And AngLee didn't have much experience in directing complex scenes, and he was a little overwhelmed.

"Ahem..." Ronald coughed twice. Suddenly the scene was quiet, and everyone looked at him, as if he was the director on the scene.

This is not good, Ronald smiled immediately, "The shooting this morning was very good, this crew is one of the best low-cost film crews I have ever seen. But I say, is it time for a break? Our budget is sufficient, and it seems that we don't need to rush so much. It would be bad if the union observers saw that we violated the rest regulations."

"Hahaha..."

Everyone laughed at once. Ronald also handed AngLee a cup of black tea, and then motioned him to say a few words alone.

"How do you feel? I haven't seen a director so calm on his first film shoot in a long time. You're great."

"Hey, I'm actually quite nervous."

"What are you afraid of? As long as you show confidence, they will respect you."

With Ronald's deliberate praise, AngLee's confidence was greatly enhanced.

"Any suggestions? I feel that some complex scenes are still a bit difficult." The unique modesty of Chinese people in him emerged again.

"You did a very good job. I have nothing to complain about. However, if you think it is difficult to move the camera, you might as well use some still shots. You know, even Billy Wilder's early films were mostly still shots, and they were edited in post-production."

"I'll consider it." AngLee knew, but, but, the latter is the key.

Soon, he re-storyboarded. A complex moving shot was split into three still shots. Put the camera outside the door and shoot the scene of the two actors through the window, so as to replace the complex movement of the camera to express the cultural gap.

With a fixed window pane separating the two people, the cultural gap between the two people is presented in the frame formed by the window pane, which is actually no less expressive than the original plan.

…

"It's Marty who won the award again. It seems that he is very sure to win the Oscar for Best Director this year."

At night, Helen Slater couldn't leave the crew either, so Ronald stayed here with her. Ronald was in the hotel, talking to Richard on the phone. The New York Film Critics Circle Awards, which had just been awarded, were also announced.

Robert De Niro won the Best Actor, Scorsese won the Best Director, Joanne Woodward won the Best Actress, and Goodfellas won the Best Film...

In New York, Dances with Wolves and Costner didn't even get the second place. They were all wiped out.

This time, the Oscar compass in New York simply focused on the Italian gang.

"Humph, they just like to give awards to filmmakers from New York. I think Scorsese won this time, and they should favor you next time." Helen is more familiar with the New York film circle and knows the problem at a glance.

Even Joanne Woodward, a veteran actress, was given the Best Actress award. It was just to show respect to her fellow countrymen. The current New York film industry is getting further and further away from Hollywood.

"Well, this is just a compass. There are also the Boston Film Critics Association, the Writers Guild Award, and the Directors Guild Award, which are also very meaningful as compasses."

Ronald stopped thinking about his troubles and turned over to hug Helen and kissed her.

...

"The Boston Film Critics Association Awards were announced, and Marty Scorsese won the Best Director Award. The Best Picture went to Goodfellas, and the Best Actor and Actress went to Jeremy Irons and Angelica Huston respectively."

Sure enough, Helen's statement was confirmed, and Boston no longer favored actors from New York. But Goodfellas still won the Best Picture and Best Director awards.

Then the Writers Guild Awards, jointly presented by the two screenwriters associations in New York and Los Angeles, awarded the Best Adapted Screenplay to Michael Blake of Dances with Wolves. This was also the first time that a movie Ronald participated in was recognized by the Compass Awards.

The Best Original Screenplay was given to Barry Levinson, the director of Rain Man, who wrote and directed his new film Avalon. The screenwriters of Ghost and Pretty Woman did not win over Barry Levinson.

This result is more indicative. Screenwriters generally still prefer famous directors like Barry Levinson. Bruce Joel Rubin and L. Lawton are both unknown screenwriters. The Writers Guild itself doesn't like them very much.

Ronald, who returned to Los Angeles, no longer had much hope for his several films. He edited "Other People's Money" in the editing room and left the public relations award to Michael Gray.

"Directors Guild, please invite Ronald Lee to attend this year's Directors Guild Awards ceremony."

One day when he returned home, Ronald saw the invitation sent by the union. This is one of the last few Compass Awards as the Oscars approach.

(Remember to bookmark it for easy reading next time!)