Exploiting Hollywood 1980

At the winter surfing spot on Venice Beach in Los Angeles, many people filming movies came today, which made the teenagers who still surf in the winter very excited, because they had the opportunity to be background actors, and several top players also had the opportunity to appear on camera.

Thanks to the invention of the wet suit by surfing legend Jack O'Neill, surfers can finally surf on the beaches of the West Coast in winter. This kind of clothing made of foamed neoprene can also maintain the body's temperature in a water environment.

"We only shot three shots on the beach today. We found a rolling wave to take a panoramic view of Sean Penn's surfing, then a shot of him running with a surfboard between his legs, and finally a shot of him walking up from the sea."

Ronald was communicating with the filming team on set.

It turned out that the director of photography and the first assistant director, who had a tacit cooperation with the crew, had already found new jobs and could not come back to reshoot the surfing competition scenes.

Today, working with the temporarily formed team, Ronald needed to confirm many details with the team members one by one.

"Sean, how are you?" Ronald asked Sean Penn, who flew in from Chicago to reshoot. He had freed himself from his Method obsession and no longer asked directors and crew to call his character by his given name, Spicoli.

"I'm ready." Sean Penn, wearing a wet surf suit, had been running in place for a long time to warm up. It’s still a bit cold to go into the water in this weather, so you need to be fully prepared to warm up.

"Okay, let's get started." Ronald ordered.

Sean Penn himself is a surfer. Although he is not at the level of a real professional player, he can still run decently on the beach holding a surfboard.

"Yeah...hoo..." Sean Penn yelled, threw the cold-waxed surfboard into the sea, then jumped into the water and swam towards the surfboard floating on the surface.

"Cut!"

Even though he was wearing a wet surfing suit, Sean Penn was still shivering from the cold wind. Ronald glanced at the unresponsive assistant and had no choice but to pick up the blanket and rush to put it on Sean Penn.

"Ronald..." Sean Penn, who was shivering from the cold and couldn't speak clearly, got into the RV on the roadside and recovered in the heater.

"Next time, remember to give him a blanket as soon as I tell him to stop." Ronald turned around and told his assistant.

The assistant, who had just graduated from college, smiled sheepishly. Grab another blanket and prepare it next to it.

"Fortunately, we only had one afternoon to shoot." Ronald himself was blown by the cold wind and tightened his coat. It's almost the end of January in Los Angeles, and it's still a bit cold in the seaside environment.

"A!"

After Sean Penn finished resting, he plunged into the sea again, then stood up straight from the sea, brushed his hair, and walked up from the water step by step with a smile on his face.

"Cut!"

The assistant rushed over and put a blanket on him. Sean Penn seemed to have suddenly run out of energy and was shaking while hugging the blanket.

"Dry it off first, then go to the RV to warm it up."

Sean's professionalism was unquestionable. He tried hard to hold back, pretending to be happy and took the shot of landing, and then started to shiver with cold.

But when I opened the RV door just now, an unpleasant smell wafted out. Only now did Ronald find out who was smoking something he shouldn't have been smoking on the set. Sean Penn hides things very well.

The last shot is a long shot of Spicoli surfing in the sea. Ronald personally directed it with an electric horn, allowing the professional surfers who usually surf here to get into the water together and perform various background actions.

"Now let's shoot a scene without Sean. Show off your unique skills. After he goes into the water, you can hold back a little to highlight Sean's level."

Ronald shouted to them that most of these surfers who had to go into the water in winter were experts at the level of professional competitions. It would be difficult for Sean to surf among them and overpower them. He can only let these people give in to him a little.

"Director, we are all very good at surfing. When are you going to let us be the protagonists and make a movie?"

"Four million dollars for the release package, one-stop service from script to shooting." Ronald also joked with them.

"Hahaha……"

While they were happy, Ronald picked up the electric horn again and said, "Whoever wants to show off their skills too much, I will cut off your scenes. Supervise each other, as long as you listen to me, I will give you A lens for you to show yourselves.”

"No problem, director."

"who do you think You Are?"

There were people with various mentalities in the crowd, but Ronald didn't care. It was just a long shot anyway. If it didn't work, he could just cut it short, so the audience wouldn't be able to tell.

"Cut!" The last scene of Spicoli surfing in the ocean was filmed, and the whole crew started packing up and moved to the studio at Universal Studios to shoot the guest scenes of Brooke Shields and David Letterman.

The motorcade drove to a studio in the middle of Universal Studios, where the talk show scene had been set up in advance, waiting for the two guest stars to come and play with Sean Penn.

"Brooke Shields, do you think she can be on my show? My talk show is about to change from morning to evening." David Letterman came to the studio early in the morning, saw Ronald walking in, and chatted with him stand up.

"Her work is arranged by her mother Terry. You can talk to her about it. But Terry is not an easy negotiating opponent, so you have to think carefully."

"It would be great if Brooke Shields could be invited to the first premiere."

"I know she was on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show, your..."

"Yeah, the ratings. It's definitely not as good as Carson's. But I'm scheduled after his show, so at least some viewers will stay on NBC to watch."

"I can't help you with that..."

"Nothing, I'm just saying, CAA helped me find Bill Murray as a guest for the first show."

Letterman was curious, he watched the lighting team setting up the lights, and also asked some questions. Finally, Ronald asked him to sit on the sofa and let the camera assistant measure the focal length.

"Are we going to shoot now? I'm going to interview him here?"

"Yes, just like your talk show. But the movie hasn't obtained the copyright, so our arrangement is a little different from your morning show."

"Understand, understand."

After rehearsing a few times, Ronald called for the official start of shooting, "A!"

"Spicoli, you not only won the Los Angeles championship of the International Surfing Grand Prix, but also saved the award presenter Brooke Shields. How do you feel?" David Letterman showed his signature smile and spoke to Sean Penn opposite.

"Cut!"

Ronald stopped, "Great, let's shoot the next one. Letterman asks questions again."

"Why, you don't shoot his answers?" Letterman was shooting a movie for the first time and was not familiar with the process. He thought that movies and TV were similar, and they were asked and answered in order.

"No, it takes a lot of time to set up the lighting. Let's finish your part first, and then shoot Spicoli and Brooke Shields' answers. We just need to edit them together at the end."

The camera was pointed at Letterman again. He glanced at the assistant who was prompting him and said, "Brooke, what did you think when he rescued you?"

"Cut!"

Ronald checked with the cameraman, "David, your solo part has been shot. When Brooke comes, we can shoot another main shot."

"Okay," Letterman was still in high spirits. He sat on the sofa and leaned against the table to feel it. "Your arrangement is very good. I'll ask them to make one in the studio."

While they were talking, Brooke Shields and her mother Terry walked in. Her hairstyle today was big waves, with the hair on top of her head blown high. A gray and white plaid men's jacket made her look very capable.

"Hi, Ronnie." Brooke greeted Ronald.

"Brooke, let me introduce you. This is Sean, who plays Spicoli. This is David Letterman, guest host, his old profession."

"Hello, David, I've seen your morning show."

"Hello, Brooke, my talk show will move to the evening time slot. When are you free to come on my show?"

"My mother handles all my affairs. I like your show very much. Were you there when I went to the Johnny Carson Show last time?"

"Yes, I was still writing for Johnny at that time."

Ronald asked them to sit down, and while they were putting on makeup, he explained the play to Brooke.

"You play yourself, a teenage idol, and present an award to Spicoli, the champion of the surfing grand prix. You accidentally fall into the sea, and Spicoli jumps in to save you. Then you go on Letterman's talk show together.

Letterman will ask you what you thought when Spicoli saved you. You look at him affectionately and say..."

"I feel safe and secure with him by my side." Brooke read the lines in advance and memorized them.

"Yes, do you usually feel safe when someone stands by you? Just imagine Spicoli as him, and then act according to your daily life.

For example, does your mother make you feel more at ease when she stands by you? Find the feeling, and if necessary, I'll ask Terry to stand next to you when taking close-ups."

"No, I can do it." Brooke waved her hand to indicate not to ask her mother to come over. Terry's drinking problem has been well controlled recently, but it's good enough that Brooke doesn't feel nervous standing next to her.

"Okay, let's try it right away."

"Recording? Camera? A!"

"Brooke, what did you think when Spicoli rescued you?"

Brooke Shields glanced at the camera, and Ronald stood behind the cameraman and looked at her. Brooke felt relieved. She knew that her acting was bad, and the two rare times when she performed well were all guided by Ronnie on the spot. No, it was four times, and she was strangled by him twice.

"With him around, I feel very safe and secure." Brooke said the lines to the camera.

"Cut!" Ronald confirmed and said, "Very good, Brooke, you performed very well!" It seems that Brooke has come to her senses a little?

"Next is a main shot, let's repeat the conversation just now."

"A!"

Letterman started asking the same question again, "Brooke, what did you think when Spicoli rescued you?"

"I feel very safe and secure." Brooke Shields looked at Spicoli played by Sean Penn.

Ronald was surprised that Brooke's expression was not as natural as last time, but fortunately it was a full shot, so he could just edit and insert the close-up.

"What do you think, Spicoli?"

"Okay!" Spicoli showed his silly signature smile and laughed foolishly.

"Cut!"

After shooting a few more takes, Ronald called a halt. Today's reshoots were complete. They just needed to be printed out and added to the unfinished copy to make a complete working copy, which could be used to make a copy without editing slots and popping sounds and could be played in front of the audience.

"Thank you, Brooke. Thank you, Mr. Letterman." Ronald stepped forward to thank them.

"I told my mother, and she agreed that I should start learning acting and become an actor." Brooke Shields whispered to Ronald about her recent moves.

"Congratulations, you must have received a lot of audition invitations, right?"

"Quite a few, I will select them with my mother. Goodbye, Ronald." Brooke waved goodbye to him with her big wavy hair.