Exploiting Hollywood 1980

"Kid, if you've been on the set for eight or nine years like me, you know that there are some things that you don't need to know too clearly..."

"Uh, Mr. Candy. I didn't mean that, I just wanted to..."

"It doesn't matter. In this industry, everyone wants to be a professional. A career means taking care of one's own work and not caring about other people's business." The director of photography liked some of Ronald's little ideas, so he told him some of his crew experience. .

"On the entire set, there is only one person who needs to take care of everyone's business, and that is the director. Because the director is responsible for the overall quality of the film, and the behavior of anyone on the crew will affect the quality of the finished film."

The director of photography looked at Ronald with a half-smile, "So, if you ask me as a director, I will tell you what I know."

Ronald realized that the director of photography was kidding him. He thought for a while and asked:

"Director Allen's health should be fine, right? Joe won't let me call an ambulance. Is there any trouble?"

"What kind of trouble could there be? It's not just the shitty stuff in rock and roll. Drunk destruction of public property, fights, drunk driving, substance abuse. The manager of the Ramones has a good way of dealing with this kind of stuff."

"Alan used to work at Warner Records, and he met the manager. The Ramones were signed to Warner's subsidiary, and they went to Roxy Bar for a drink. I went home first and didn't know what happened."

"OK, I understand." Ronald put away his gossip, "So as a director of photography, what do you think of the quality of the shots we shot this morning?"

"As a low-budget film, it was well shot."

“I found that you always have the camera moving and rarely keep it still.”

The director of photography was a little surprised and looked at him deeply.

"You have some talent. The camera is the eyes of the audience. Human eyes hate static images, so every few seconds, you have to find a way to make them move."

"Then how did you first become a director of photography? Mr. Candy."

The two started chatting about photography. When not working, the photography director is quite talkative. It turns out that Dean Candy has served as the director of photography for 9 movies. He starred in PJ Soles' last film "Moonlight", for which he was also the director of photography.

…

"Ring ring ring ring..."

The phone rings.

Ronald picked up the phone and said, "Hello."

"Is that Ronald? I'm Roger Corman."

"It's me, Mr. Coleman. The director, Alan, passed out and Joe took him to the hospital. We just finished shooting the magic light time in the morning and now we need a new director. Mr. Dean Condy, the director of photography, is here with me." beside."

"Wait a moment, don't be nervous. I want to ask some details, and I'll ask you to answer them."

"Okay, Mr. Coleman."

"Alan passed out and Joe took him to the hospital?"

"Yeah, Joe said he was sent to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Beverly Hills."

"Why don't you find someone to take Alan to the hospital? He has to go by himself?"

"Mr. Coleman, I asked Joe the same thing, and Joe insisted on going."

"How many shots did you take this morning?"

"We shot according to the storyboard, and now it's a little faster than expected."

"Storyboarding? Is the entire movie storyboarded?"

"Um...Mr. Coleman, I drew it last night. I wanted to compare it and learn from it. Joe saw it and said it could be used, so he asked me to take pictures."

Ronald explained, "Mr. Coleman, can you send another director over?"

"Dxn it, I don't have a new director to send to the set right now."

"Where is our second unit director Jerry Zucker? Can we let him come to the scene to shoot?"

"I'm afraid not. He took a day off today to talk to people at Paramount about his new movie."

"Um, can you come to the set? I know you are also a great director yourself. I think Joe has sent Allen to the hospital now. We will contact the hospital later to see if Joe can return to the set in the afternoon."

"It's 7 o'clock now. If we set out from home now and it happens to be during the morning rush hour, it will probably be after 9 o'clock when we get to the set."

Ronald thought, this was an opportunity. You can refer to the images you dreamed about last night and take some more shots. Maybe I can change my signature from crew assistant to director assistant, or even assistant director...

"With all due respect, Mr. Coleman. There are still 11 scenes to be shot today. Can we take advantage of the fact that the sun is not shining brightly to shoot some?"

No words were spoken on the other end of the phone.

"After Alan and Joe went to the hospital, I shot two scenes, and the director of photography, Mr. Dean, approved them."

Still no movement.

"Mr. Coleman, if we wait until after 9 o'clock to resume filming, it is very likely that we will not be able to finish filming today. If we postpone it to tomorrow, we will have to re-rent the venue, extras, and equipment. The actors and staff will have to pay one more day's salary, which will cost It will be very high.”

"Well, keep talking." Roger Corman finally replied.

"I can continue filming according to the work diary before you come to the set. If it doesn't work when I look at the samples tomorrow, then I can arrange reshoots. If the effect is good, it means saving money."

Ronald confided all his desires in one breath.

There was silence on the other side of the phone for a while, and just when Ronald couldn't help but speak again, a voice came from the other side:

"Did you take all the shots in the morning?"

"Yes, I drew today's storyboard last night. Except for the first take today, I drew the rest according to the storyboard."

"So, Dean is next to you, right? Give him the microphone and I'll talk to him."

"Okay." Ronald turned around and handed the microphone to the director of photography.

He stood up and went to the water dispenser to get water, giving his boss Roger and the director of photography a chance to communicate privately.

Of course, Ronald's ears were still perked up, listening to the words coming from the other side.

"Yeah, Roger, it's Dean. Joe shot the first take, and the rest were all shot by Ronnie... He has a bit of street smarts... He knows how to arrange the camera and mobilize the actors... He has good communication skills... He also solved a big problem in the shooting yesterday... The actor's performance is good... I think it's okay... OK... I'll watch him."

After Ronald finished drinking the water in the glass, Dean Condy handed the receiver over again.

"Ronnie, do you know the one-main-two-over-the-shoulder shooting method?" Roger Corman's voice came from the receiver.

"Uh? Should we shoot a main shot first, and then two over-the-shoulder shots?"

"Yes, very good. It seems that you have learned how to be a director. Hahaha..."

Roger Corman joked. From the sound, the boss was in a good mood.

"Then you will be responsible for the shooting before I arrive on the set."

"Thank you for your trust, Mr. Corman. Is there anything I need to pay attention to?"

"Communicate more with Dean, respect the opinions of the actors in performance, remember to shoot enough shots, and finally, shoot faster."

"Okay, Mr. Corman. Then I will discuss the shooting with Mr. Condie. Before you come, according to the progress, it is expected that 4-6 scenes can be shot."

"Very good. I will ask my assistant Gail to go to the crew as well. When I arrive on the scene, we will discuss what to do with the next scene. Go, kid, I know you have talent, and you won't let me down."

"Thank you for your trust, Mr. Corman. Bye." Ronald was very happy that Roger Corman actually agreed to let him shoot.

It seems that the rumors about the boss's stinginess are very accurate. As long as you prescribe the right medicine, there will be surprises.

After hanging up the phone, "Okay, let's go back and continue shooting?" Ronald asked.

"You are the director, you have the final say."