Exploiting Hollywood 1980

The story of "Moonlight" takes place in Brooklyn, New York, where security is much worse than in Manhattan.

While filming exterior scenes here, MGM submitted a report to the city hall. Two NYPDs came to the scene, wearing baggy uniforms that looked like they had not been ironed.

Compared with "Famous", which was shot on the streets of Manhattan six or seven years ago, it is obvious that the support of the city hall agencies here for the filming is much worse.

Of course, MGM will not just rely on the NYPD to ensure the safety and order of the crew. In accordance with the rules, they notified the Italian gang in Brooklyn. After watching a few scenes filmed by the crew, their little boss saw that It's a romantic comedy, and the main character Cher's makeup is old-fashioned, and her clothes don't have any feminine charm.

Soon they lost interest in the crew and only found a few minions to watch the scene.

There is neither a gangster romance like The Godfather nor a good-looking young and beautiful girl in such a movie. Italian gangsters are not interested at all.

In addition, the five major families in New York are now being severely attacked by Rudy, Attorney General of the Southern District of New York, and even the little people are wilting.

"Why do you think men should love women? Such a woman is still a widow, but someone still loves her?" A gangster muttered in a low voice. He thought the plot of this movie was very nonsense.

In Italian culture, a widow whose husband died unexpectedly is an unfortunate woman. Men mostly play with such widows and are unlikely to marry them.

"Hollywood makes all sorts of messy movies. Who wants to watch this kind of story about a middle-aged woman? I think the director is a fool. It would be better to make The Godfather, which is the most beautiful movie in the world."

"That's it, it would be great if we could get John Travolta to perform a song and dance with a beautiful woman. Now that the boss has called me to watch the show, I have nothing to brag about when I go back to my girlfriend."

…

While they were commenting on Ronald, in a department store around the corner, the crew was filming a scene in which Cher waited until her boyfriend Johnny proposed, then went to buy a drink to celebrate.

"a!"

Xue'er, who was standing on the road outside the door, was wearing a gray coat and black boots. Only her gray hair was not a gray color. At first glance, she looks like a boring accountant rather than a beautiful woman that makes people admire her.

The camera is inside the department store, shooting outside the door.

"Ring ring..." Xue'er opened the door and turned on the wind chime on the door. The elderly couple shopkeepers inside were still complaining to each other. The boss gets up and says "good evening" to Loretta, played by Cher.

"Don't try to get away with your nonsense. I saw the way you looked at her was wrong. What were you thinking when you looked at her at that time?" The wife of the boss was still scolding the boss relentlessly. The boss just came to him. The pretty woman who bought the wine looked at her a few more times and chatted with her a few words, which touched the nerves of the landlady.

"What do you want to buy?" The boss laughed a few times, and then continued to do business.

"Champagne." Loretta took out twenty dollars and handed it to the boss.

The boss turned around and went to the refrigerator behind him, got a bottle of cheap champagne, and was still joking with the wife of the boss, "Then what do you think I was thinking when I looked at her?"

"Like a... wolf!" the proprietress said viciously from the side.

The camera was now focused on Xue'er on the other side of the counter, with a close-up on her face.

This is the second time the crew filmed this scene. This time it was mainly close-ups of several actors.

The supporting role of the proprietress who plays Cher's role is also a veteran Broadway supporting role. Her jealous and complaining eyes are very full.

These Broadway actors must be very satisfying to Ronald. Even when they are supporting the scene, they stand behind the camera, cooperate with the protagonist, and finish the lines they want to say for those who are being filmed in front of the camera. A reasonable response from the protagonist.

But even with such coordinated work, the supporting actor still performed the role meticulously. Her eyes and facial expressions clearly showed two levels. At first, it was jealousy towards the woman who had stolen her husband's attention.

Then there is dissatisfaction with her husband for ignoring her feelings.

Although her appearance has aged and her waist is already very thick, she still looks like a girl in her early twenties when she acts coquettishly in front of her husband.

Cher, who played Loretta, looked into the eyes of the actor behind the camera, and she felt the emotions conveyed by the other person very well.

Under the gaze of the camera, when Xueer heard the words "You look at her like...a wolf", she suddenly raised her head and looked towards the landlady's side seemingly indifferently.

Ronald caught the look from behind the camera and was delighted. Cher's performance is restrained and accurate. Maybe it's because she has talent in acting, maybe she and the heroine Loretta share some common emotions, or maybe there is some mysterious reason. In this scene, Cher 's performance is outstanding.

A difficult performance level in the first act of this script is why Loretta, after accepting the engagement of her boyfriend Johnny, still has a passion with his brother Ronnie.

This place requires a very subtle performance. If the performance is not good, the audience will have questions, why does such a middle-aged widow still act like this? They will become confused and ask themselves this question, which will draw them away from the story, which is very detrimental to the audience's attention required for a good movie to follow the plot for a long time.

Or worse, the audience accepted this plot, but lost sympathy for Loretta's experience. If Loretta becomes a fickle or confused woman in the eyes of the audience, then all the subsequent stories will have no foothold.

If the protagonist cannot make the audience empathize with her experience, then the whole building of the movie will collapse.

For this reason, Ronald specially arranged this scene.

It is natural for men to love beautiful women, which is the true meaning of the boss's line, "You are a... wolf."

Even if the boss and the two are quarreling now, they must be inseparable when they are newly married. When they look at each other, they have an indelible possessive desire. You can definitely see this fiery passion in the eyes of the person who loves you.

And this is exactly the key missing between Loretta and her fiancé Johnny.

At first glance, it is naked jealousy and envy of the boss's wife.

Loretta was not proposed to by Johnny in a scene arranged by him. Instead, when they were having dinner together, Johnny said that his mother was seriously ill and he had to fly back to Italy to see her for the last time.

In the same restaurant, a university professor Perry was preparing to propose to his female student.

The waiters in the restaurant had prepared various plots, including a wedding ring that was served on a plate.

But Professor Perry and the female student had a big quarrel and finally parted unhappily. The female student also poured a glass of water on the professor.

At this time, the waiters began to celebrate. If Professor Perry did not get married, he would continue to eat in the restaurant.

At this time, Loretta felt something in her heart, and she let her boyfriend Johnny propose to her on a whim.

Moreover, Johnny did not make any preparations. Loretta was very dissatisfied with the casual proposal. She would not agree to a proposal ceremony without even a ring.

Finally, Johnny took off the ring on his little finger, which made the proposal successful.

Such an experience did not have any romantic elements at all. Instead, before the proposal, the two of them became in a mentality of living together.

Seeing the grocery store owner and the boss lady of the same age, and strong jealousy and admiration, Loretta's heart surged with desire for this kind of life.

"Like a... wolf, eh?" The boss picked up the champagne, put it in a paper bag, and then wrapped it and handed it to Loretta.

This is the new change brought about by the underage (no) drinking bill that the current president and first lady Nancy pushed two years ago.

The bill passed by Congress does not automatically force the states to enforce it. It only stipulates at the federal level that any state that does not pass a ban on minors (under 21 years old) from drinking will not receive a series of federal education funding.

Soon, as a more "progressive" New York State, it passed a state law and began to strengthen restrictions on various drinking. One obvious difference is that after buying alcohol, you cannot openly take it in public or put it in the car.

You must wrap it in a paper bag to show that you will not drink in public or while driving. So as not to cause adverse effects on minors.

"What... wolf, you have never seen the eyes of a living wolf in your life." The boss began to tease the boss lady. The old couple joked with each other.

"I have seen the eyes of a wolf. I have seen this look in every man, especially in your eyes just now."

Loretta took the change and put it in her wallet. She had a mysterious desire in her heart that she dared not tell anyone. She also wanted to see that kind of... wolf eyes in Johnny's eyes.

"Oh, do you know what I saw in my eyes?" The boss continued to tease his wife.

"What did you see?" The boss's wife was still a little depressed.

"I saw the girl I married when I was newly married."

"Oh..." The boss's wife turned from anger to joy. She was very happy with her husband's deliberately sweet words. She smiled and kissed him.

Loretta saw it and laughed. She said goodbye to them and walked out of the store.

"Cut!"

Ronald watched Cher's performance in the video tape split from the camera. He was quite satisfied. It was that smile. Cher should be able to do better.

"You did very well, very well. Now can we change a method..." Ronald and Cher talked about her performance method on the side.

Cher is a star, and you can't talk to her the way you usually talk to an actor. Because stars have a big self-awareness, Ronald has to be roundabout, first praising the other party's ability, and then proposing another performance method that he thinks is more suitable.

"Sorry, Ronald, today's time is up. You have extended the shooting time by half an hour. According to the rules of the Screen Actors Guild, you can't continue shooting today."

"What? Miss Cher didn't raise any objections, what do you want to say?"

Ronald was about to persuade Cher to do it again, but the representative of the Actors Guild suddenly appeared and rudely quoted the rules and laws, demanding that today's shooting end here.

"This is the union's rule. If you are dissatisfied with my behavior, you can file a reconsideration with the New York office of the Screen Actors Guild. But now, I must say that it's time to rest. The Actors Guild is for the welfare of all registered actors...

Even if the main actor agrees, you still have to take into account all the supporting characters who are playing alongside her, as well as the cameramen, sound recordists, lighting engineers, etc. who are also working under difficult conditions. If you don't stop filming, I will come next time with representatives from their union. "

Upon hearing the threat from the union representative, many staff members of the camera crew, recording crew, and lighting crew immediately began to pack up their equipment.

"Moonlight" is an MGM project and has been officially registered with all major labor unions.

New York is also a city with the strongest unions in the film and television industry, and they cannot afford to offend these professional union leaders.

They are not real actors, nor are they employees in the film and television industry, but off-duty professionals who specialize in union affairs. The major Hollywood film crews dare not offend them.

Ronald felt helpless. One or two more shots of this shot would have achieved the best effect. But once it is interrupted, tomorrow or later, when filming resumes, the actor will have to find his state again. There is a certain possibility that the actor will never be able to find a similar good state again.

In addition, this scene is in the evening, and the reshoots tomorrow will have to be shot in the evening. There are only a few shooting hours before the off-duty time stipulated by the union, so there is not enough time.

This is not a nine-to-five office clerk type job. This is film production. Is it necessary to strictly adopt this nine-to-five eight-hour work system?

Ronald looked at another wasted day and felt indignant.

"You've been in New York for a long time. When they shoot studio scenes, do the union staff also accurately check the time like this?" Ronald asked his director of photography, David Watkin.

"It's true. There are too many Broadway actors in New York. When auditioning for many roles, there are often more than a hundred actors trying for one vacancy. If it weren't for the strict protection of the union, they would be at a disadvantage. So New York has always been the most powerful actor's union. One of the two most powerful cities.

You can't escape the keen sense of smell of these union workers in your Long Island studio. "

"This is not fucking okay," Ronald thought to himself. His two long shots, especially the ending scene at the dinner table, obviously required long hours of rehearsals and reshoots.

It takes a long time for the actors to try and collide before they can overcome this most challenging moment of the film.

If the union staff stopped the work just when the actor was finding his groove, Ronald would be on the verge of tears.

"I have to have a meeting with the top management of MGM. I have to move the indoor scenes in the later stages to a place where the union is not strong."

In the evening, Ronald found Weintraub's subordinate at MGM, an executive in charge of the production business, and made his request.

"There are only two suitable places. One is Virginia or New Jersey. The appearance of the buildings there is in the old-fashioned neoclassical style like New York, which will not conflict with each other. The union power in these two states is also relatively weak.

The other is Toronto, Canada. The street scene there is very similar to America, and the interior style of the houses is also similar to New York. Nowadays, many contemporary dramas are filmed in Toronto or Montreal in Canada by the seven major studios.

Moreover, after the union learned that you were not filming in a studio in New York, they might not have thought at the first moment that you had gone to your northern neighbor. "

"You take care of this for me, okay?"

When Ronald heard this, since there was such a good place, why not go there quickly? Anyway, after adding in shipping costs, hotel fees, and the cost of re-building the scenery in the studio, all the money is not as good as the cost savings of being able to work overtime at will.

After all, in the film shooting industry, the most important thing is to follow the schedule. Not shooting according to the plan is the biggest black hole of wasting budget.

MGM was still very supportive of the film, and quickly flew the set team and materials to Toronto. They rented a large studio there and began to build Loretta's big house. Her fiancé's brother Ronnie's apartment on the second floor of the bakery, and several other interior scenes.

It is estimated that it will take three weeks to build all the sets. In fact, they are very happy. Now everyone in the industry knows that shooting studio scenes in Toronto can basically save 20 to 30% of the time because they can work overtime.

This time saving has brought about a significant reduction in personnel wages and equipment rentals. In comparison, some shipping costs and the increased cost of new scenery can only be regarded as small sums.

The time was right. By the time the scenery was completed, Ronald could basically complete the filming of the outdoor scenes in New York, and then move to Toronto with the rest of the crew after the Christmas holiday.

…

Until then, filming continues in various street scenes in New York.

What was shot today was a scene at Loretta's house.

Loretta brought champagne home from the grocery store to share the good news with her family.

But when she got home, she found that everyone had their own troubles and no one seemed happy for her to get married again.

The first thing I saw was the old man on the wooden stairs on the second floor.

Fedor Chaliapin's old eyes are a little cloudy, which just happens to show the image of a somewhat old and confused grandfather in the camera.

He saw Loretta, played by Cher, coming home. He didn't say anything to her, but instead yelled at the dogs behind her.

After a while, they all rushed around Loretta, rushed up the stairs, and went to the room with the old man.

"cut!"

Ronald never interfered with Fedor Chaliapin's performance. He knew the best way to perform a scene without any suggestions from him.

If he wasn't so deaf, Ronald would have wanted to discuss with him how to perform some difficult scenes.

But sometimes the old man had to go deaf several times before he could roughly understand Ronald's problem, so Ronald gave up the idea. As long as Fedor Chaliapin could play his role well, he wouldn't ask for anything extra.

"It's really strange. Why is it that when he plays with Cher or Olympia Dukaki, he seems to be not deaf at all. When he talks to me, he has to work hard."

Ronald saw a real-time black-and-white image on the small display behind the camera. This was the result of the previous one being played back on the VCR.

Ronald's mumbling was still heard by the director of photography David Watkin.

"These actors have magic. Once you call a, they seem to have a sixth sense and can sense the actions of their counterparts." David Watkin has always been a photographer who shoots such acting-testing scenes. He gave Ronald an answer that was not an answer.

"Well, that's true," Ronald scratched his head, "but he must have some secret."

...

The camera switched to the second floor. Vincent Gardenia, who played his father Cosmo, was wearing vertical striped pajamas and thick glasses. He was sitting on a recliner in the corner, listening to old songs on the record.

"At this time, the phone rang and I jumped up.

When I grabbed the phone, I prayed.

Let it be him, oh, dear God.

It must be him, otherwise I will die.

Otherwise I will die."

"Dad, why are you sleeping here? Where's Mom?"

Loretta entered the camera. She sat next to her father Cosmo. A question woke up Cosmo, who was listening to Vicki Carr's old song "It Must Be Him (ittbehi)".

"I can't sleep. I may be dying. I can't sleep."

"Dad, I have some news to announce."

"Okay! Let's go to the kitchen." Cosmo was shocked. The last time his daughter said she had some news, her ex-husband was in a traffic accident. "

Loretta opened the champagne and poured two glasses. Cosmo put a piece of sugar in each glass, waited for the bubbles to rise, and clinked glasses with her daughter.

"I'm getting married." Seeing that the atmosphere was right, Loretta announced the good news.

"Again?" Cosmo seemed more frightened.

"Yeah!"

"Didn't you get married before? It didn't work out. "

"That's because my husband died."

"What killed him?"

"He was hit by a bus." Loretta imagined that her father would react like this, so she acted calmly.

"No! He wasn't hit by a car. He was just unlucky. "Cosmo waved his hands excitedly, palms up, fingers together.

"Your mother and I have been married for 52 years, and neither of us died. What about you? You have been married for two years, and your husband died. You are not suitable for marriage, don't get married."

"Who are you going to marry?" Seeing his daughter's insistence, Cosmo found another reason.

"Johnny, Johnny Camarelli" Loretta said the name of her fiancé.

"Johnny? Johnny!" Father Cosmo was excited, "He is still a child, by the way, why didn't he come to tell me about your affairs?"

"Because his mother is dying, he wants to go to Sicily to see her." Loretta was also anxious. Father Cosmo wanted to shirk again and not pay for the wedding. She sped up her speech, raised her hands, and gestured with her fingers together.

"Look...look...I am unlucky again, you are not suitable for marriage!"

"You have to hold a wedding for me and send me off. You didn't send me off last time. If you had, maybe I wouldn't have had such bad luck. And Johnny even knelt down to propose."

"He knelt down? Where's the ring?" Father Cosmo was still looking for something wrong. He didn't want his daughter to get married. Americans, especially Italians, have to pay for all the wedding expenses of their daughters.

This is also a huge expense for middle-class families. Not to mention Cosmo, who relies on his cleverness to run a small hardware business.

"Yes, look, this is the ring?"

"Is this the engagement ring? This is the pinky ring that Italian men wear. It's a toy!"

"This is temporary! He will change it to a better one when he comes back!"

"Temporary, everything in the world is temporary, including marriage."

"Humph!"

"Humph! Go talk to your mother."

The father and daughter parted unhappily.

"Cut! ”

Ronald stopped filming. The two actors had rehearsed this scene for a long time. The lines were spoken quickly and urgently, full of emotions.

It was like two fish chasing each other's tails. After one person finished speaking, the other person immediately took over without waiting for a pause, blocking the other's words.

In addition to Shanley's brilliant script, the two actors, Cher and Vincent Gardenia, did not rely entirely on rehearsals to practice this demanding rhythm coordination.

The two completely entered the role and performed this scene based on human instinct.

Of course, the basis of the rivalry is still Vincent Gardenia, who has won the highest award for American drama. He can always adjust Cher's slightly inaccurate rhythm with his own lines and actions, and then return it comfortably, making it easy for Cher to pick up.

…

Two hours later, the camera came to the bedroom. The lighting team simulated the fluorescent lamp.

"A!"

"Rose, Ross... Ross..."

Cosmo called his wife's name and went into the bedroom with his daughter.

"Who died?" Loretta's mother woke up from her sleep, and her first reaction was that someone died.

Olympia Dukakis turned on the bedside lamp, and the lighting team paused for half a second with a component, giving the audience a sense of the time difference between the switch and the light.

Although there is no time difference between the switch and the light in daily life, the audience is more accustomed to this routine when watching movies.

"No one died. Loretta is getting married."

"Again?" Rose was also surprised, and then she asked, "Johnny? Johnny Camarelli?"

The mother really knows her daughter better than the father.

"Do you love him?"

"No."

"Oh, that's good. If you love him, he will keep torturing you because he knows they can." As she said that, Olympia Dukakis, who plays Rose, glanced at Vincent Gardenia, who plays Cosmo behind her.

"Tsk..." Ronald saw it clearly behind the camera.

Olympia Dukakis's rhythm is more perfect than Vincent Gardenia's.

She talked to her daughter on the bed, and also used double entendres to satirize her husband Cosmo. This kind of three-person dialogue scene is many times more difficult to maintain the rhythm than a two-person scene.

Olympia Dukakis distributed the attention between her husband and daughter very skillfully, and suddenly focused all the audience's attention on herself.

This ability to steal the show unconsciously is still very skillful. And Cher, who plays the daughter, will not be unhappy about such a scene-stealing.

The better Olympia Dukakis's reaction, the stronger Cher's reaction will be later. This reaction is naturally brought up by Dukakis.

"Do you like him?" Mother Rose asked Loretta the second question.

"I like him, he is a very sweet person."

Mother Rose smiled happily. It is really good to have a son-in-law who likes her daughter more than her daughter likes him.

"This time, I want to get married in the church, and I want to have a formal wedding banquet." Loretta stated her request in front of her mother.

"Ha, who will pay for it?" Olympia Dukakis's eyelids were slightly raised, and her attention was immediately directed to her husband Cosmo who was in the background behind.

"This kind of performance that makes light of heavy things can mobilize the audience in a blink of an eye. It is really good." Ronald is more and more satisfied with Julia Taylor's casting.

The better the casting, the more convenient it is to provide acting guidance when filming starts later.

"Dad has to pay for his daughter's wedding."

"I won't, I don't have money." Cosmo quit and left immediately, slinking away from the scene.

"You're not poor, you're just stingy. You're richer than President Roosevelt, but you're reluctant to spend a penny." Mother Rose also complained about her husband.

"This is a father's duty. The father pays for his daughter's wedding."

Cosmo's men had already fled to the stairs, "I don't have money, I won't pay."

"I told myself I had done what I should have done.

I told myself not to be a fool.

I had a lot of fun on the court.

It's easy to be cool."

The old song started to sound again.

This is the recording team playing the recording outside the wall.

"He went to listen to that damn song by Vicki Carr again. He didn't even touch my face when he went to bed."

Olympia Dukakis made a gesture of spreading her hands on the bed to express her dissatisfaction.

This is what Rose said just now. Rose loved Cosmo deeply, so Cosmo could make her angry. If she had married someone she didn't love at the time, there wouldn't be so much trouble.

"Cut!"

Ronald's scenes with these veteran Broadway actors were all very simple. They respected the director and the script, never modified the lines themselves, and memorized all the lines before coming to the crew.

Ronald read their scripts, and the lines were filled with context, stress, and rhythm symbols.

With the support of these core actors, the filming was gradually getting better.