Exploiting Hollywood 1980

"Someone is peeking outside the window."

Sean Penn pointed to the classroom window, which really aroused a burst of giggles. A group of high school boys and girls who were peeking at the filming of the movie shouted and slipped away from the door.

"Check the window again, and then find a few assistants to block the intersection of the aisle." Ronald instructed the first assistant director Al.

Ronald also went out to check the environment outside the classroom. The aisles on both sides were blocked with yellow and white tape to mark the restricted area. The dean of Van Nuys High School also arranged a few security guards to help guard the stairs.

This is much higher than the treatment he received when he was secretly filming "Rock High School". These are the advantages of a large studio. All the logistical issues of filming are governed by rules and regulations.

"Let's do it again," Ronald gave Al the instructions to prepare.

Sean Penn muttered to himself, making emotional preparations. After putting on his wig, he looked more like Tarzan. Above the huge nose were small eyes that were slightly separated. Coupled with Spicoli's style of speaking without thinking, it is indeed easy to tell that his IQ is below average.

Ray Walston, who plays the teacher Mr. Hand, was born in 1914 and is already a 67-year-old actor. His hair is combed meticulously, and he wears a light-colored shirt and a linen jacket, which makes him look like a very stylish teacher.

Ronald stepped forward to apologize, saying that he had to reshoot the scene because he failed to clear the scene.

"It's okay. This kind of accident often happens on the set. I have worked with many directors on filming, and you are one of the few who can arrange everything in an orderly manner." Walston was quite humble to the director, and he did not have the star airs of "Uncle Martin from Mars", and he was very serious about his work.

Ronald still respected this old actor very much. They have been filming on Hollywood sets for much longer than Ronald is old. Let them perform in a comfortable environment, and they will show their real acting skills, instead of just acting casually.

In addition to acting on TV, Walston also played supporting roles in many movies. Ronald had seen "The Sting" starring Robert Redford and "The Apartment" directed by the great director Billy Wilder.

He had a lot of experience in filming movies, and sometimes he would chat with Ronald in private. His acting career fell into a trough after the role of "Uncle Martian Martin". No matter what role he played, the audience would recognize him as Martin.

Sometimes a successful role is very recognized by the audience. But this recognition also limits the actor's acting path, especially for a character actor like him who mainly plays supporting roles. After the TV series ended, he had to take a break for more than three years and did not shoot any movies or TV.

"I hope your movie will make the audience remember my new image again. When I traveled to Madrid, someone put their fingers behind their heads and gestured the image of Uncle Martian."

"Yes, Ray." Ronald saw that the staff was ready and ordered to shoot.

"Don't eat, I, I, N, G. Don't eat in my class." Walston took the chocolate bar that an extra took out and put it in his pocket.

"You have to learn to eat in your own time. You are not allowed to eat in my class."

There was a knock at the door. After hearing this, Mr. Hand went to open the door.

Spicoli stood at the door and asked, "I signed up for this course."

Mr. Hand asked back, "What course?"

"American History, I saw a globe on the podium..."

"Cut!" This time it was Ray Walston's turn to call a halt.

"What's the matter?" Ronald motioned for everyone to stop and asked.

"Director, can you talk to him and tell him not to change the lines without permission." Ray Walston complained loudly to Ronald.

Sean Penn was still immersed in the role and turned a blind eye to all this.

Ronald scratched his head. This is the difference between two performance concepts.

The older generation of actors went through the Hollywood of the big studio era. At that time, the lines written by the screenwriter could not be changed.

Billy Wilder was the most famous one among them. He was very annoyed when the actors changed his lines without permission. He believed that the actor's job was to perform, and the lines should be handled by professional screenwriters like him.

The performance concept in New York was developed from Stanislavsky's stage play performance theory. When actors repeatedly play a role and say the same lines, they cannot elicit natural reactions in their body and voice.

In the eyes of the audience, such a formulaic performance lacks authenticity. Some schools under the Stanislavsky system advocate on-site improvisation (Iprovisation).

They believe that only improvised lines can elicit natural reactions from the opponent. The reaction chain of listening, understanding, and answering will make the audience feel real.

Sean Penn belongs to this school. His lines are different every time, although the meaning is roughly the same.

"Si... Spicoli," Ronald called him aside, "Mr. Walston is an old-school Hollywood actor, can you please accommodate him?"

"Spicoli is such a person, my actions are unpredictable."

Ronald scratched his head again, this doesn't make sense. Looking at Sean Penn's silly look, for the first time I felt that his method acting also has its hateful side.

"Can't you accommodate me once?" Ronald was also a little annoyed. Uncle Mars doesn't know how to improvise, what should I do?

"Director, why don't you let me do something like that before I perform?" Sean Penn said to Ronald, "I need a little stimulation so that I can follow the lines every time and perform something new."

"what? What?"

"You know, just what, what." Sean Penn said, pointing to his bag in the corner.

"Bring it to me." Ronald would not allow messy things to be used on the set.

Fortunately it was a bottle of liquor.

"You can't drink too much."

Sean Penn nodded, opened the cap of the bottle and took two sips. He drank the strong vodka all at once, and his eyes were a little red.

"I'm ready."

Ronald turned to discuss with Walston, "Mr. Walston, Sean is too involved in the drama, and he himself is a bit..." Ronald stretched out his finger and tapped his head. "If he doesn't follow everything in the script this time, can you continue?"

Walston nodded, "Okay, I'll take it. He's an actor with potential, but I've seen a lot of star actors in Hollywood who were addicted to alcohol and other addictive things and destroyed themselves. "You have to talk to him."

"Okay, I will." Ronald turned towards the safe area behind the camera, signaled to the assistant director to start, and then sat down on the chair to rest, thinking, "Am I right? It's not a big deal now. In the studio era, actors are taken care of by agents and managers, so what’s the use?”

The filming of the next clip went smoothly. Ray Walston ignored Sean Penn's improvisation and changed his lines and continued according to the lines he recited. Instead, the film gave a feeling that the two were incompatible.

The filming continues.

In the evening, after Ronald finished work at Van Nuys High School, he took Sean Penn to Van Nuys Avenue outside the high school. Walking to the junction with Worth Street, the road here has been closed and the police are maintaining order.

"Spikoli, let's start with the driving scene of you and your rugby star brother."

"Okay" Sean Penn walked to the makeup trailer and started getting ready.

A Chevrolet Camaro Z28 sports car was parked in the middle of the road. In front of the sports car, a pickup truck was connected with a hinge. Above are the people from the stunt photography team, who are almost ready.

Director of photography Matthew climbed into the bed of the pickup truck and sat behind the camera looking at the cab of the Camaro Z28. After taking a long look, he said to Ronald, "That's it."

The black actor who plays the brother of football star Jefferson is sitting in the passenger seat. The author is preparing.

"How are you?" Ronald asked him.

"No problem, director." This black actor is relatively reliable and was recommended by the casting director Phillips. He has good dialogue skills and looks very young, which meets the needs.

"Okay, let's rehearse when Spicoli comes."

Ronald also climbed into the bed of the pickup truck and glanced at the front face of the Camaro sports car through the viewfinder of the camera. The viewfinder just accommodated the driver's seat and the passenger seat, and the two pieces of glass were clean. Very clean and no problem shooting.

"Where's Spicoli? Go hurry him up." Ronald sat on the side of the car for a while, before Sean Penn came out.

"Coming, I'm coming." Sean Penn's eyes were redder than before, and he walked a little crookedly.

Opening the driver's seat, Sean Penn got in and said, "Let's get started."

The black actor in the passenger seat frowned, and Sean Penn smelled a strange smell as soon as he opened his mouth. He, who often works in the entertainment industry, is no longer familiar with the smell of this plant.

But he didn't say anything. Ronald signaled for rehearsal to begin.

The camera focuses on the driver's seat of the car behind. The stunt team's mechanics set the gears, and the Camaro was actually being towed by the pickup truck in front of it. Sean Penn's movements such as shaking the steering wheel in the driver's seat were actually performed.

"Hey, this is my brother's car. Please drive carefully and don't paddle."

"What are you afraid of? I'm driving now, and you are the navigator. Focus on guiding the way."

"Very good, let's take a real shot."

The scene inside the vehicle where the two were racing was just shot.

asked Debbie Evans from the stunt crew.

"Very good, no problem. We have planned it, and the two main shots were tested once in the middle of the night yesterday."

"Can't you switch to someone else to shoot that car crash scene? I always feel..."

"What, are you discriminating against women?"

"No, I'm just worried about being gangstered." Ronald didn't dare to mess with this stuntwoman, a woman two years older than him, and a feminist indeed.

She was the only female contestant in the motorcycle category of the Millennium CBS Stunt Competition, winning against all the men. In the final, she showed off a handstand on a moving motorcycle, which shocked everyone.

She also defeated many good players in the car category and won second place. It is said that she is not convinced and will compete again next year and win the championship this time.

"I'm wearing a blond wig. It's about the same height as Sean, so I won't wear it." Debbie took a wig from the hairstylist, tied her hair up tightly against her scalp, and then put it on Long hair, "How's it going?"

Ronald stepped back and looked through the director's viewfinder, but he really couldn't tell.

"OK, real shot."

A long ramp made of wood had been built by the set department. Debbie would accelerate from underneath, then drive up the ramp, and finally crash into the prepared buffer carton.

A large group of tourists just came out of the restaurant next door. They were very excited to see the camera here. Hollywood doesn't have many opportunities to see real movies, so they immediately surrounded them.

"What movie are you shooting?"

"Who are the stars? Is Paul Newman in it?"

"Robert Redford is also OK."

It was a female group.

Ronald grabbed the electric horn and shouted to them, "Ladies, we are shooting a cleaning detergent commercial. If you want to go abroad, go over there to sign up."

"Why didn't you say so earlier? What's so good about washing powder? We're leaving. I heard that there is Stallone's house over there."

Hearing that it was a washing powder commercial, the female tour group dispersed.

"We only have one chance, everyone pay attention." Ronald picked up the electric horn and continued to issue instructions.

"Is the ambulance ready?"

"Yes."

"Fire extinguisher?"

"The fire department is ready."

"Recording? Camera? A!"

At the command, Debbie drove a sports car modified from a cheap old car, rushed onto the wooden ramp, and then crashed into the buffer zone that had been arranged.

A large group of people rushed over, including firefighters with fire extinguishers and doctors in white coats. A colleague from the stunt team opened the car door and let Debbie out.

"I'm fine." Debbie shouted to Ronald.

Ronald looked at the director of photography.

Matthew nodded to him.

"Very good, we'll call it a day."

Everyone applauded.

Ronald walked to the rest trailer with satisfaction, ready to get his own black tea. As soon as he opened the door, a strange smell hit him.

"Who the hell is smoking this here? I've told you many times that these things are not allowed in the crew." Everyone in the crew heard Ronald's loud scolding.