Exploiting Hollywood 1980

Ned Tanin sent an assistant to accompany Ronald to Chicago.

The two went to an abandoned public high school, Glenbrook North High School, where John Hughes' "The Breakfast Club" was filmed.

Ever since Ronald first entered the industry, the number of births in America has continued to decline. The interior decoration and facilities of Glenbrook North High School are still very new, but the lack of students still defeated it.

The library, which was about to be demolished, became John Hughes' main filming location.

The movie "The Breakfast Club" is very strange, and the story is concentrated in this library. Five middle school students were locked up for different reasons. On Saturday morning, five people who usually did not interact with each other were forced to write self-criticisms together.

In this long day, they went from hating each other to understanding each other, and finally became close friends and lovers, but maybe after the weekend, they would return to the social circle of high school and become strangers again.

John Hughes' movie actually tells the story of such a day.

"Hi, Ronald, welcome."

John Hughes was lying on the ground next to the camera and directing.

His previous commercial production "Sixteen Candles" was OK at the box office, but this movie was actually what he wanted to shoot the most, so he was much more involved than before.

"Hi, John," Ronald came up to greet him, and seeing that he couldn't get up, he simply squatted down to talk to him.

"Are you used to sitting on the floor? Why don't you ask your assistant to prepare a chair for you?" Ronald looked around and didn't see a chair, which was the first secret of Roger Corman's movies.

"I sit on the floor, it's more convenient to watch the actors' performances." Hughes didn't care. He didn't have the airs of a director at all, and he was like friends with those actors.

"Hi, John."

Hughes's darling, muse, red-haired Molly Ringwald, played a rich girl "princess".

They sat on the floor and talked about pop music like good friends.

"After the Beatles went solo, which song do you think is the best?"

"That's undoubtedly John Lennon's 'Imagination'"

The next one to follow is Anthony Michael Hall, who plays a "nerd". Like Ringwald, he is sixteen years old. Among the five actors, only two of them are actually in high school.

This method of quickly categorizing the characters in teen movies by labeling was first used in Ronald's "Fast and Furious Richmond High". Because of its good effect, it allows the audience to immediately identify who is who, so it is widely used in teen movies now.

"Allie, Emilio", Ronald saw the two actors coming later, one of whom is Emilio Estevez, who plays a wrestler, and he is an old acquaintance.

The other is Allie Sheedy. Ronald has met her once. She is the girlfriend of Eric Stoltz, who was fired from "Back to the Future". She once ate at Ronald's "The Karate Kid" crew.

Emilio played the "athlete" and Ally played the "neurotic". One of them was strong and good at sports, while the other was beautiful but had no family warmth and was autistic and sloppy. In the end, after Ally's character was beautified by the "princess", she amazed everyone and became a couple with the "athlete".

The last one to be dragged was Judd Nelson, who played the "criminal", the kind of person who often caused trouble and was regarded as a thorn by the teacher.

"Okay, everyone is here, let's start." Director John Hughes saw that the five main actors had arrived and ordered to start filming.

The scenes of this movie are limited. After a few days of shooting, the lighting team only needs to continue the previous plan. The photographer has no room for creativity. He just shoots the five people in the middle shot and watches them improvise their lines to each other.

"Ah!" John Hughes lay down on his side again and watched the five people start to perform.

Ronald glanced around and didn't see any chairs, so he had to sit cross-legged and watch the camera and recording teams start to act.

"Ah, I still have no experience." Ronald shook his head.

John Hughes was already shooting his second movie, but he still forgot to ask the script supervisor to clap, so the scene was wasted.

Ronald resisted the urge to speak. On the set, the director's authority needs to be carefully maintained. Even if he is wrong, he can only discuss it alone later.

The "criminal" played by Judd Nelson is the most mischievous. He keeps provoking the "princess" played by Molly Ringwald.

"Stop it." Molly Ringwald turned around and shouted angrily.

"This reaction is very realistic," Ronald thought. It seems that Hughes is still capable of directing performances.

He looked at Judd Nelson. This actor might also be a method actor, and he is very involved in the role.

"Cut!" John Hughes stopped filming.

The actors started discussing on the chairs.

"I think the reaction I just played was okay."

"Your reaction when you were scared by Judd was very good."

The two sixteen-year-old actors were discussing with each other. They both played in the director's previous movie "Sixteen Candles", which is considered a small gang.

"Ah," Judd Nelson pulled a strand of Ringwald's hair off.

She turned around and hit Judd.

"As expected, Judd Nelson is a method actor like Sean Penn and Eric Stoltz, who stays in character even when he stops filming." Ronald smiled.

"Okay, let's do it again." Hughes didn't talk to them about the drama, and just called the second one.

"a!"

"No", Ronald put down his outstretched hand again. This Hughes didn't follow the director's routine. Just another one like this? Don’t you also talk about the pros and cons of performing?

And he didn't hit the mark on this one.

Ronald reminded himself that he must say it next time, otherwise it would be a small matter to waste film, but it would be troublesome to waste a wonderful performance. The actors may not be able to perform the same wonderful performance again.

"Cut!" Hughes stopped the second one, but still let the actors discuss and develop themselves.

Ronald discovered that the actors spoke different lines in the two takes, and they were still discussing what the characters should say to suit their personalities.

"John, did you forget to hit the board?" Ronald couldn't help it and whispered in Hughes's ear.

"I don't want to hit the script. If I hit the script, they will act according to the script. Only by shooting directly without hitting the script can I catch their improvisation." Hughes changed his position and said to Ronald, "Sometimes I don’t tell them to turn it on, so the reaction is the most authentic and believable.”

"this……"

Ronald hesitated a little.

Hughes certainly had his own way of doing things, with the actors largely improvising rather than following scripted lines.

The effect of this directing method, which Ronald also saw, was unexpectedly very real and more in line with the habits of high school students than the lines written in the script.

This method of improvisation requires good actors and tacit cooperation.

Ronald felt that the whole film relied on improvisation and he couldn't do it himself.

But here in Hughes, the effect is not bad?

This is how we shoot, and when we finally edit it, it’s time to find out which scene this shot belongs to, or which scene’s shot is where, but we’re going to die.

"I think the performance you filmed this way turned out to be surprisingly good, John."

Ronald took advantage of a break in filming to pull Hughes over for a chat.

"I'm learning your method. Every scene is shot according to the order of the script. After I lost my 'Sixteen Candles' to you, I especially studied your shooting method."

Hughes replied with a smile.

This sequential shooting method is not expensive, because most of the scenes in the entire film are in one place. And actors can better understand the character's reactions and the intensity of their emotions. Ronald understood.

"What I want to say is, how will you edit it then?"

"Clip?"

Hughes had no experience operating an editing machine himself, so he always asked the editor to cut out the combination he wanted. I never thought that unblocked film would be a nightmare during post-production editing.

"Okay, I'll think of a way." Ronald felt that it was inappropriate to change Hughes's creative method rashly, but after filming like this, even Hughes himself might not be able to remember it clearly and would be unable to start editing. I can't even find the film.

Ronald walked out of the set, found a phone number, and called Ned Tanin.

"Ned, congratulations, you discovered a director genius. Yes... yes... he did a great job... but you have to send the editor over in advance."

Ronald explained the situation here. This kind of shooting is rare. Don't try to correct the genius' creation. Just send an experienced editor to assist Hughes and mark each scene.

"Oh, why did you hit me?"

"You f*cking...beat you..."

Ronald, who returned to the filming location, suddenly had a conflict when he saw the actors who were having a good time just now.

Two actors, Emilio Estevez and Judd Nelson, surrounded John Kellus, who played the janitor, and were beating him up.

"Why did you hit me? I just said a few words for your own good." John Kelless was beaten inexplicably, "Oh..."

Seeing Emilio Estevez give him a hard blow, his scalp was bleeding.

"Stop, stop fighting."

Ronald rushed forward, struggled to separate several people, and then dragged John Kellus, who was covering his head, out of the circle.

"What's going on? Why did you hit him?"

"Let this son of a bitch speak for himself!" Estevez pointed at Keles and pointed a finger at the other person's nose.

"What did you say?" Ronald looked around, and only one assistant stepped forward smartly and brought a towel for Keles to cover the wound.

"I saw that they were discussing too enthusiastically and didn't pay attention to rest at all, so I kindly reminded them that when Martin Sheen was filming 'Apocalypse Now,' he had a heart attack because he worked continuously without rest."

"How dare you fucking say that? Let's see if I don't beat you to death." Estevez stepped forward and wanted to beat you.

"Oh, hey," Ronald put his hand on his chest. Estevez was playing a wrestler, not like he was a real wrestler.

John Hughes used to be a nerd who worked as a creative director in an advertising company, and he could only stare blankly when encountering this kind of thing.

Fortunately, several assistants came forward and helped Ronald separate everyone again.

"Mr. Kellus," Ronald said to the unfortunate guy who was beaten, "you have to apologize to Emilio. Mr. Martin Sheen is Emilio's father. You shouldn't use him as an example."

"Huh? I don't know..." Kelless was dumbfounded. He didn't know that Martin Sheen was a stage name. Emilio, the eldest son, did not inherit Sheen's stage name, but his second son Charlie took it.

"You have to apologize to him." Ronald knew that Martin Sheen had a serious heart attack and almost died while filming "Apocalypse Now".

"I apologize to you solemnly!" Kellers covered his head, and the blood had dyed the towel red, but he kept apologizing and begging for forgiveness.

"You @#%, be more careful with your words in the future." Estevez pointed out arrogantly, and walked away with Judd Nelson behind him. The two kept making fun of Kellers' stupidity.

Ronald looked at John Hughes. This kind of hooliganism in the crew requires the director to stand up and distinguish right from wrong, and let the perpetrators restrain themselves, otherwise the crew will be in chaos in the future.

Hughes shrugged, "His role in the movie is a person who solves problems with his body."

Among the two young actresses, Molly Ringwald shook her red hair. She couldn't stand this style and turned back.

"Ronald, Director Hughes pays more attention to getting into the role and improvisation."

It was still the acquaintance Ali Sheedy who came over to try to explain.

"I understand. Every director has a different way." Ronald looked at the beauty, who was wearing black eyeshadow and covered up her beauty.

"I'm sorry about Eric." Ronald told Siti that he had caused Stoltz to be fired.

"It's okay. We are no longer together. He is in love with Cher, the heroine of the last movie." Ali Siti waved her hand, indicating that she had nothing to do with him.

"Cher?" Ronald was shocked. "She debuted in the 1960s. She must be around 40 now?"

"Almost 40." Ali Siti laughed when she saw that Ronald seemed to be calculating Cher's age.

"Okay, you guys take care and don't conflict with Emilio. He has a heavy fist." Ronald felt that this kind of actor who would fight at the slightest disagreement should be watched out for, so he reminded him.

"It's okay. I know how to deal with people like him. Ringwald is the director's muse. He doesn't dare."

In the evening, Ronald met the editor sent by Ned Tanin.

"What alarmed you, Ms. Allen?"

Ronald was also surprised to see this lady wearing large tortoise-shell frame glasses.

Didi Allen is a veteran Hollywood editor. She edited "Bonnie and Clyde" which pioneered the new Hollywood, Sidney Lumet's "Dog Day Afternoon", and "Reds" for which Warren Beatty won the Best Director Award.

Her master was also the editor of Orson Welles' "Citizen Kane" and Robert Wise, the director of "West Side Story".

Ronald watched many of her edited movies in college classes.

"Didn't you say this is a genius work that needs an experienced editor to cooperate? I am very interested in genius."

Didi was a very kind lady who exchanged some thoughts with Ronald on Hughes' shooting methods.

The next day, Didi was also shocked by the chaos shot by Hughes and the wonderful performances of the actors.

"You have to get me a Sony camera, I have to shoot it myself, otherwise no one can find where the lens is."

Dee Dee quickly got the portable camera bought by Ronald, and she pointed it at the actors. Hughes filmed, and she also filmed, and she used a clapperboard to record every improvisation in a notebook.

"This is indeed a genius work, but the director is a complete bastard!" Even though Dee Dee Allen is experienced, she was confused by Hughes' filming method.