Exploiting Hollywood 1980

"You're working too hard," Ronald said to Tom Cruise, who was sitting in the passenger seat, while driving. "Others just make boxing moves, but you really hit them with your hands."

The fight between the two gangs was filmed for two consecutive nights. In order to show his authentic acting skills, Tom Cruise really punched the actor on the other side.

The result was of course very good. The other party fought back angrily and broke Tom's dentures with one punch.

"I'm sorry, I've apologized to him. The director poured water on the sky, and my feet slipped." Tom Cruise stretched out his finger to show Ronald. Because he used too much force, he injured his finger.

Ronald shook his head. These teenage actors were inspired by Coppola to work very hard. It was raining when they filmed the fight scene on the first day. In order to ensure the continuity of the shots, Coppola had people spray water on the sky on the second night.

"I just want to show the best of myself," said Tom. His cheap dentures looked fake to begin with, and now that they were crooked by a punch, they looked more and more like his original rotten teeth.

During the filming, the ground was full of mud puddles and it was raining heavily, but there were still a few actors who worked very hard and really tried their best. Coppola's name was like a battle horn for these young actors, urging them to perform hard.

"I heard that Coppola would let the actors he liked go to his acting training camp. I don't know if I will have a chance this time." Tom was still looking forward to his future, and he just grabbed Ronald to ask about the situation.

"Are you really willing to shoot his black-and-white film?" Ronald glanced at Tom.

A week ago, Coppola brought Ronald and Hinton together and announced the plan of "Peep Show" to shoot another Hinton film, "Ruble Fish".

This film will be shot in black and white, with only two "fighting fish" in the fish tank, using color lenses.

Coppola first got Hinton's copyright, and Hinton agreed to write the script for "Fighting Fish" himself.

The second person he found was Ronald. "Fighting Fish" was produced by Coppola himself. In order to save costs, Ronald, who could do several jobs, was given priority.

Ronald didn't like the tone of this movie, nor was he optimistic about the box office of this movie. It was a country boy gang from 20 years ago, and it was a black-and-white movie. Anyway, he had seen some of the techniques he wanted to learn. So he declined the offer on the grounds that he had to participate in the "Fast-Pace" marketing promotion.

Coppola didn't care, and then began to look for suitable actors in the "The Untamed" crew to participate in the next movie.

"Yes, Coppola has taken a fancy to you and wants you to play the second male lead." Ronald did not hide it from Tom Cruise, "If you agree, you will go to his acting training camp as soon as your scenes are finished.

"That's great." Tom was at the age of worshipping Director Coppola, and he waved his fist a few times when he heard it.

The car arrived at the dentist's clinic in town.

"I will take a leave tomorrow to audition for another crew. "Tom said with a smile again.

Ronald parked the car and took Cruise into the clinic, "No wonder, I saw Paula Wagner came to the crew."

"Yes, she takes good care of me. I will take a day off tomorrow."

Tom was full of confidence, "If the audition is successful, do you think I should go there, or play in Coppola's next movie?"

"Color film?"

"Yes, a colorful youth film."

"Then if it were me, I would still shoot a color film. Few people like to watch black and white films now."

Ronald answered casually and sent Cruise into the dentist's office.

After a long time, the dentist filled Tom Cruise's teeth, sent him out, and asked Ronald to take a photo of them.

"Please take a photo of me and this actor. I want my wife to see the photo of the actors in her favorite movie "The Brats."

"Hi, Paula. "Ronald and Tom returned to the hotel. Just after parking the car, they saw a beautiful woman wearing sunglasses sitting at the door of the hotel. Cruise and his agent Paula Wagner.

"Ronald, thank you for sending Tom to get his teeth filled. He will audition for the male lead in tomorrow's play. His front teeth are good enough like this."

Paula looked at Tom's newly filled front teeth and expressed satisfaction.

"What movie are you auditioning for?" Ronald also looked at Tom's front teeth. After putting on new dentures, he really turned from a little gangster into a handsome guy who grew up in the city.

"Risky Bess", Paula handed over a synopsis of the script. She wanted to show Ronald a look.

This is a youth exploitation film. Tom plays Joe, a high school student who applies to Princeton University and wants to make some money while his parents are away.

Joe met the call girl Lana by misunderstanding. After a series of coincidences, Joe turned his home into Lana's business place. When he was opening the door to do business, the interviewer from Princeton suddenly visited.

"A very good plot. "Ronald handed back the plot summary, and a few words led to several clues, which made people very curious to watch it.

"Tom, you should listen to Ronald." Paula said to Tom. She didn't want Tom Cruise to continue to play in Coppola's black-and-white movies. He was the protagonist in this "Crazy Boy". Paula and CAA spent a lot of money to get the director to agree to give Tom an audition opportunity.

"We will take the evening flight and come back tomorrow."

……

Matt Dillon and Diane Lane were all spotted by Coppola and wanted to be included in the lineup of the next movie "Betta".

Tillon liked this movie very much. He had previously filmed Hinton's "The Texan". If he shoots "The Wanderer" and then "Betta", he will become a Hinton professional.

Diane was a little hesitant. On the one hand, she didn't like starring with Matt Dillon, and on the other hand, Ronald didn't support her acting in a Coppola movie again.

"Are black and white films really bad?" Diane asked Ronald.

"It's a market problem. Nowadays, children have color TVs and don't watch old black-and-white movies played on TV stations."

"But it was directed by Coppola after all." Diane felt very lucky to have been chosen by Coppola twice to play the heroine, although the heroine did not have many roles.

"Actually, 'Betta' is a B-level movie shot in a package." Ronald hit the nail on the head.

"This method of one big production, one small production, and shooting two movies in one package can save a lot of money. The sets, equipment, personnel, and even actors can all be shared."

This is a method that my former boss, the exploitation film tycoon Roger Corman, used very well. He often sees other people's good sets and thinks of a script. He seizes the time to shoot one before other movies are finished and the sets are demolished.

"Oh, is that so?" Diane wasn't sure whether what Ronald said would have an impact on her acting career, so she put aside her doubts for the time being.

…

"Ronald, I got the lead role in The Boy Who Is Crazy." Soon Tom Cruise came back on a plane after completing his audition.

Paula Wagner's vision was very accurate. After the director met Tom Cruise, he immediately decided not to do what he thought and cast him to play the protagonist Joe.

"I will recommend Diane to them. She is the best heroine. I hope you can agree, Ronald." Tom was very excited. After he saw the complete script, he also liked the movie even more.

"What does it mean to obtain my consent? You should ask her and her father Bert's opinion."

"Hey, I know you protect her, and Diane said she was staying at your house."

"Go and talk to her. I also hope she can act in color films. I feel like falling asleep watching black and white films."

"Hahaha……"

Tom was so amused that he went to call Diane.

When Ronald saw Tom leaving, he said to his agent Paula, "The producer loves him so much? Can he be given the power to recommend heroines?"

"You don't know," Paula smiled happily, "the director was very satisfied with Tom and said he was the Joe in the script. His hard work and persistence in performing the character also made the director very happy."

After saying this, Paula pointed to her teeth, meaning that Tom would rather lose his two front teeth in order to play a supporting role well. This spirit made the film crew no longer doubt his professionalism.

"The heroine Lana is a call girl. The director believes that the chemical reaction between the heroine and Tom is a necessary condition for the success of the movie, so he asked Tom to recommend the candidate himself."

"Oh, that's not ordinary. This is star treatment."

"Tom is the star."

…

"I don't know. This role is a call girl, and my father won't agree to it." Diane heard Tom Cruise's invitation and hesitated after thinking about it.

"At least let your father read the script?" Tom didn't give up yet. He had seen many of Diane's great performances. How great would it be if she could play the leading role in the new film with her?

Before filming started the next morning, Bert browsed the script handed over by Diane and Tom on the set and rejected it immediately.

"Sorry, kid. My girl will never..." Burt said to Tom, "look at my mouth, never play a call girl, period!"

"Why do you have such an idea, Diane? Coppola's heroine will not act, but she will act in an exploitation film?" Then he pulled Diane aside and asked what his daughter thought.

"But Ronald said that Coppola's 'Betta' was a B-level movie shot in one package, and not many people like to watch black-and-white movies anymore."

"Ronald...he's a nice guy, but he doesn't know much about directing. He doesn't even know how to direct actors.

In his mind, it must be an exploitation film, because he also directed an exploitation film.

And Coppola, after all, is Coppola..."

"What a pity, Diane would have cooperated very well with me." Tom regretted not inviting Diane Lane to be the protagonist. His scene was over and he was about to go to the airport with Paula.

"Your training schedule." Paula handed over a schedule. "You need to lose ten pounds in one week, and then eat back ten pounds in one week."

"Why go to all this trouble?" Ronald was seeing them off when he heard about this outrageous arrangement.

"Because Tom has to play a twelfth-grade high school student. He is already twenty years old this year and has no baby fat. So he needs to lose weight first, then gain weight, and regain the feeling of baby fat."

"Good luck to you." Ronald and Tom Cruise hugged each other goodbye.

…

In the evening, Ronald was having dinner with Hinton, and the two chatted while eating.

Hinton had been writing, but she was not very familiar with script writing, so after being invited by Coppola to be the screenwriter of the new film, she approached Ronald to find out more about the situation.

"That's basically it. The script needs to make sure that the words you write can be captured on film. If you can't imagine that the film can capture this kind of scene, then you probably need to rewrite it."

Ronald knew that Coppola asked Hinton to direct the film, probably to save money. Coppola only paid an advance of 10% of the fee for the adaptation of Hinton's "The Kid."

"That's great, Ronald. I haven't written a book since I finished 'The Texan' in '79."

Hinton got the urge to write, and he was very happy.

"I really like the feeling of writing with a pen on manuscript paper. The ideas flow out through the ink and rustle onto the paper."

"Why, don't you use a typewriter?"

"I like pen and paper when writing. Typewriters are for secretaries. You can't revise or move paragraphs back and forth.

I like to feel free to revise mine, move this paragraph to the middle of the first two pages, or delete this paragraph and fill in other content.

If you are also an author, you must know that when writing a long novel, you often need to move back and forth like this. "

"Then you should use WordStar software. You can use the keyboard to complete all moving, copying, and copying operations. It is as convenient as a typewriter and as free as pen and paper."

"Word Star? What is that?"

"A software for computers, a writing tool specially developed for writers like you."

"Awesome, a typewriter that can be modified at will? I have to buy one."

"Ms. Hinton, this is the IBM PC you ordered, and here is the WordStar software."

A few days later, the town's department store specially arranged a computer and writing software for local hero Hinton and delivered them to her home.

After carefully reading the instructions, Hinton tried several times but failed.

"Ronald, come help me, help me figure out how to type." Hinton called and asked Ronald to come and see what the problem was.

"This is saving, this is printing, this is copying, this is copying..."

Ronald arrived at Hinton's house and explained the concept of shortcut keys to Hinton, "You have to press Ctrl first, and then press this key."

"Save, print," Xinton tried, "What is a copy?"

"I'll write you a copy." Ronald simply wrote a note with commonly used shortcut keys as he did at home, and posted it next to Hinton's computer monitor.

"Seriously, Ronald. You really explained it very well. The store clerk will only endorse it according to the instructions. Only you will explain these functions to me in a language I can understand."

Hinton was very happy, typed a paragraph, and then pressed the print shortcut key, and a document was printed out.

"Because I am also an author."

"Seriously, you should write a book so that a computer idiot like me can learn to type with WordStar. I'm going to call my publisher and you have to talk to them."

"Publish a book? Does anyone buy this kind of book?"

"Of course, I have no idea what kind of books readers will buy..."

Hinton turned around and called his editor.