Exploiting Hollywood 1980

"Hey, be careful, be careful." Two workers, one held a faucet and sprayed water on the blades of a large electric fan, and the other turned the fan to the maximum, letting the fan blow out water mist and spread it evenly on the ground.

A thin layer of water mist sprayed out from the front of the large electric fan and spread a thin layer on the ground. The cement floor was quickly covered with a layer of black water stains. The water droplets are sprayed very evenly, and there is not a lot of water on the ground, but it can reflect the neon lights.

The neon light at the entrance of the concert venue reads "Welcome Ellen Ann back home." The colorful neon lights are reflected on the black water stains on the ground, and the radiant light is connected with the color of the neon light itself, making the dim The streets are rendered into a very warm atmosphere.

Ronald recognized that this color technique, which uses water stains on the ground to reflect light, was invented by Coppola in "Love Old and New." In the low-illumination background light, brightly colored neon lights are used to outline an atmosphere after the opening of the movie, allowing the audience to quickly enter the mood that the director wants them to enter.

This is a very advanced technique that requires the combination of lighting, photography, and even post-production dubbing to achieve the effect of instantly drawing the audience into the atmosphere. Unexpectedly, I saw it again on the "Streets of Rage" studio. . The director is very good at creating this kind of atmosphere.

After the two factory workers finished spreading the water, Ronald crossed the street and walked into the set stage scene.

The stage was dimmed for a while, and the assistant director was arranging a group performance of hundreds of people. According to his instructions, he asked them to make various actions such as clapping, crowding, and shouting.

"Hi, Ronald, this way."

Director Walter Hill was setting up camera positions behind the stage. This scene required at least six camera positions to shoot simultaneously. He saw Ronald and waved to him.

Ronald saw that there was a fence between the auditorium and the back of the stage, so he ran two steps quickly, pushed himself over with his hands, and then walked towards the director and the producer next to him.

"Oh, your suit is very nice." Next to the director, a sturdy man said, with his white hair slicked back, giving people a very fashionable look.

Ronald looked at the other party, a little strange. Most people rarely comment on other people's clothing. Look at that man's suit and it fits his figure very well. Could it be that he is a fashion designer?

"Let me introduce to you, this is George, the costume designer hired by the crew with a high salary. He designed and provided Diane's two sets of stage costumes.

George, this is Ronald, the most promising young director in America right now. You should also provide costumes for the films he directs in the future. "

"It's not just that." George looked at Ronald, "There are very few people who look good in suits like you. Wearing formal suits requires a tall and straight figure, and good posture. People who are too groveling or too proud cannot wear it. A suit brings out your temperament.”

Ronald laughed, he was indeed a fashion designer, and he spoke very professionally, "Maybe it's because I'm a good tailor, and it feels like it fits me very well."

A good custom-made suit has this advantage. No matter you are walking, sitting, or running, the top will fit perfectly on the body, and there will be no embarrassing scene where the entire shoulder pads will rise when you raise your hand.

"No, I'm serious. Your tailor is indeed very good, but his workmanship is biased toward American style, and it doesn't fit your figure better at the waist. A figure like yours should wear our Italian tailoring to fully reflect your figure. Sexy.”

Ronald didn't expect George to be so enthusiastic, "Okay, what's the name of your suit shop? I'll buy two sets."

"I will give you two formal suits, as long as you promise to wear my suit at the next Oscars and Golden Autumn Awards. You will attend the Oscars, right."

George said with enthusiasm, and took out a business card and gave it to Ronald, "Just make a call then and say it was my order."

Producer Joel Silver added, "George is very talented. His brand of men's clothing has just entered the American market, and I have been wearing his brand."

"Thank you then. I feel like today is my lucky day. By the way, what's the brand of your men's clothing?"

"It's named after me, and I have opened several stores in Los Angeles, and a factory to handle various orders for suits and other men's clothing. You don't have to worry, your suits will be processed very well."

"Giorgio Armani suits, haha, that sounds very good." Ronald smiled and looked at the business card, then put it in his pocket and put it away.

Giorgio Armani personally designed and completed two sets of Diane's stage costumes. I heard that Diane himself put forward some design requirements. Today, the final modifications to the costumes for the performances have been completed and have been sent to the dressing room. George is also planning to come and see the scene. Effect.

"Okay, when it's time to go back, you just rock to this rhythm!" The assistant director at the bottom of the stage ended the rehearsal of the group performers and dismissed them first to let them rest and then assemble again for the official shooting.

The lighting team began to set the lighting under the arrangement of the director of photography. Ronald noticed that a tall man wearing glasses was directing the lighting on set instead of the director of photography. This is not common on film sets.

"Mark Brickman" producer Joel Silver boasted in Ronald's ear, "I spent a million to bring him in to light the two concert scenes."

Ronald couldn't remember how many times he had heard the word "one million" in the past few days. Armani, the costume designer, also had a salary of one million, and today the lighting professional also wanted one million. Ten thousand. The budget is really generous and everything is done according to the highest standards.

Lighting designer Mark Brickman lit the live concerts of rock singer Bruce Springsteen. He was very good at using light to create emotions. As the highlight of the film's opening scene, the Diane scene can be said to be It was a highly anticipated appearance.

"You can ask him to go to the spectator area and have a look.

Ronald climbed off the stage again and walked behind the camera hidden at the end. One problem with multi-camera shooting is that the camera will capture other camera positions, causing confusion. Therefore, directors of photography who are good at shooting multiple camera positions are very good at hiding the camera cleverly.

Ronald walked behind the camera disguised as lighting equipment. A dozen extras at the front of the stage were still rehearsing their actions when they would interact with Ellen Ann, played by Diane.

The extras raised their hands high and stretched out toward the stage, as if worshiping their idol. A stand-in for Diane was simulating Diane's clapping, shaking hands, saying a few words and other actions with them.

"Huh?"

Ronald suddenly discovered that looking from this perspective, a very interesting spectacle appeared to the audience and the stars on the stage.

The stars on the stage are focused by the spotlights shining down from the ceiling, surrounded by dark red ambient lights and colorful neon lights creating a red atmosphere. The lighting engineer was also instructing the assistants to light up the smoke. Under a foggy atmosphere, from the dark auditorium, it seemed as if the stars were shrouded in a mist, and there was a fairy-like scene.

The most interesting thing is that the raised hands of the audience at the front stage are not illuminated by the light. But against the bright stage background, through the clever combination of a series of lights, a silhouette effect is presented.

The audience is like believers worshiping an idol, and the star is the center of light. Ronald could imagine that during the official shooting, it would be an extremely shocking light effect, and all the eyes of the audience would follow the lighting guidance and converge on Diane.

And Diane will rise like a star shining everywhere, surrounded by enthusiastic audiences.

"This is worth a million dollars," Ronald thought to himself. As expected, they are doing live lighting for some of the most popular rock bands at the moment. This kind of stage effect can never be produced by ordinary film lighting engineers.

Ronald jumped on the stage again, trying to figure out the lighting settings, but he soon gave up. It was an extremely complicated system, with spotlights on the stage, neon lights on the background, and many environments in the gaps. lamp.

The lighting assistants let off smoke in different places, and the smoke has filled the entire stage. There are several small windows above, and some of the outdoor sunlight is slightly refracted in. Against the background of the smoke, it presents a kind of holy light illuminated by heaven. Light effect.

Ronald felt that it was impossible to master it in a short time, so he could only remember the name of the lighting engineer, so that he might be able to hire him when shooting similar scenes in the future.

"Ronald, Ronald", the agent Richard came in from outside the door, and suddenly walked into the dark studio, unable to find anyone.

"Here, Richard," Ronald waved to him.

Richard stared for a moment with his eyes wide open, then walked to the front of the stage and handed Ronald a large bag he was holding.

"The Nintendo console you want."

Several people on the stage, including Giorgio Armani, gathered around to look at Ronald's little toy.

Ronald opened it and saw two cardboard boxes. On the box was a gray plastic box with two handles. It looks like a video recorder. Below is the name of the game console, Nintendo NES.

"Thank you. I just gave one to my cousin, and another one to wait for Helen to come back, so I can play with him." Ronald thanked Richard.

"What is this?" Armani looked at the gray machine and thought the design was interesting.

"A game console that can be connected to the TV and played. I heard it is more fun than Atari."

"Who is Helen? Is she your girlfriend?"

"Yes, she's currently filming 'Supergirl' at London's Pinewood Studios, and she's starring in it."

"Oh, when she comes back, you must let her come to my work

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Check out the studio, my brand also has women's clothing. George suddenly became interested. "Supergirl" sounded like a spin-off series of "Superman". With two people wearing Armani clothes at the same time and entering the Oscar party, his marketing purposes could be further improved.

At least he's a handsome man and a beautiful woman, and he's a celebrity, so the broadcaster's TV cameras will certainly not hesitate to give him a few close-ups.

"Wow", a small gap in the curtain backstage was closed.

Diane put on a very sexy and beautiful costume and gave Ronald a surprise when she was about to go out. She had been waiting for a long time at the entrance behind the curtain.

But the joy he felt when he saw Ronald just now was completely shattered by the happy smile that appeared on his face later when he talked about Helen.

Moreover, Giorgio Armani also said that he would design clothes for Helen, so his outfit is not unique.

"In that case, let's let this secret love end in vain." Diane felt bitter and angry. She kicked the wall near the entrance. Then she took the song "Nowhere Fast" that needed lip syncing from Malin Jahan and recited the lines again.

"No matter what, I have to sing this song perfectly." For some reasons that Diane herself couldn't explain, she still wanted to leave a perfect impression on Ronald. She really showed the charm of having grown up and become a mature and beautiful woman.

"Sam, Sam?" Ronald was talking to George about men's clothing. Among the group actors in the audience, a tall man suddenly squatted down with his hands covering his stomach.

The assistant director came forward to understand that he suddenly had abdominal pain, and quickly called the driver and assistant to send him to the hospital.

"Change an extra," director Walter Hill told the assistant director to replace him.

"He's the one who speaks the lines."

"Ah?" Walter Hill looked for the extras. The extra who had the lines was the one who played the role of the singer Ann, and he shouted "I love you, Alan" to the stage. The camera would give him a close-up shot, so a handsome guy had to be found to play the role.

"Ronald, how about you make a cameo appearance?" Walter Hill looked for a long time and found Ronald. He was wearing a handmade suit and his face was photogenic. He didn't need good acting skills to do a one-line job.

"Me? Sure, what should I say?" Ronald saw that the big scene was suddenly missing a small role, and he should save the scene if he was suitable.

"I love you, Alan." Director Walter talked to Ronald about the play, and then turned to his assistant, "You stand next to him later, and remind him when he is about to say the lines."

Hundreds of extras came back, and the lighting was adjusted and tested several times. Director Walter Hill walked to the big jib facing the stage and sat next to the director of photography.

"Get ready! 'Streets of Rage', Scene X, Scene X, First Take, all aspects ready."

The first assistant director shouted in a long tone, and there were people holding clapperboards in front of each camera. The synchronization of multi-camera shooting requires coordination of each camera, so it takes a little longer.

"Recording?"

"Ready."

"Camera One"

"Full speed"

"Camera Two?"

"Full speed."

...

"A!"

"Now, please welcome the unique Alan Ann who has returned to her hometown to perform!" The host outside the venue called out the name of the female singer Alan Ann to the PA system.

"Aww..." All the extras began to cheer and jump, raising their hands and jumping non-stop. Ronald also began to wave his hands under the guidance of the assistant director's gestures. Their hands would be photographed as a silhouette effect by the camera behind them.

The spotlight on the stage shone on the drummer in the band brought by music director Jim Steinman. A beam of white light chased over. He, wearing a white suit, played the first rhythm of the drum set. The neon lights behind the stage began to flicker, forming some meaningless symbols and letters.

The spotlight split to the left, and the second spotlight shone on the keyboardist, who began to play the first melody under the light. Following the rhythm of the drummer, the keyboardist, who was also wearing a white suit, began to dance up and down with the rhythm.

Then it was the guitarist, who was illuminated by the third spotlight. He ran two steps on the stage and then played the first chord.

The three spotlights illuminated the three band members, and the exciting and rhythmic prelude of "Nowhere Fast" began to sound.

Ronald and the group performers next to him began to cheer for the three musicians as the spotlight directed them. Everyone knew that the most exciting moment was about to come, and the soul of the band, the female rock star Allen Ann, was about to go on stage.

The drummer gave the drums a rhythm, and hit all the drums from left to right, and finally hit the cymbals. The spotlight shone in the direction of his drumsticks.

Ronald was as immersed in the scene as the audience. He seemed to have forgotten that this was a movie shoot. His whole body was restless. His heart began to beat strongly in his chest with the drum beats. He looked towards the stage door, as if he was really looking forward to the performance of the greatest female singer in America.

"Ahhhhhhhhh..." The shouts of the audience were several decibels higher, and all the spotlights were shining on the stage door. In the milky white light, a girl with long flowing hair, wearing a black and red performance costume, holding a microphone in one hand and holding the other hand high, ran slowly towards the center of the stage.

The audience began to shout "Alan, Alan!" as if they were desperate.

Ronald's heart beat faster and faster. He almost didn't recognize the person. It was Diane Lane.

She had a long flowing hair, which flashed a smooth metallic light under the light. The long eyelashes and deep eye shadow made the girl... no, made this woman look very sexy and beautiful.

Diane had clearly made her request to Giorgio Armani, and she wore the same color trousers she wore at the 54 Club in New York and at the end of the filming of "The Magic Stains", bright red.

Red cropped trousers

She was wearing a low-cut black skirt. It split just above her thighs, revealing the red trousers inside. The slanted neckline revealed a red tube top on one side. She wore long black gloves on both arms, and two fingerless black leather gloves on her palms.

This red and black color combination made Ronald's mouth wide open. Diane, who seemed to be a girl next door yesterday, has become an extremely sexy and beautiful female singer today.

Diane ran from the entrance door to the center of the stage. The spotlight followed her closely, as if to set her off as the queen of today.

When she reached the microphone in the center of the stage, Diane stopped. She held the microphone in one hand and raised the other hand to the sky. She was emitting a superstar's light all over her body and was about to sing.

Ronald stood there blankly, as if he had forgotten everything. He suddenly understood the meaning of Diane and his cousin often talking about him. He also understood the coincidence of why Diane always appeared in the same place with him.

"Hi hi..." The assistant beside Ronald was anxious. This should be the shot where Ronald was talking. The camera on the stage had already zoomed in and found Ronald in a suit.

"It's your turn," the assistant poked Ronald.

"Oh," Ronald just remembered that he had a line.

He made a trumpet shape with his hands, put it to his mouth, and blurted out:

"I love you, Diane!"

"Cut!

Cut!

Cut!"

The big jib where director Walter Hill sat had already moved from the back to the front of Diane, ready to shoot her close-up. Hearing Ronald say the wrong line, he was a little annoyed that he wasted the first shot with rich emotions. He quickly called a stop.

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