MTL - Exploiting Hollywood 1980-Chapter 56 casting audition

  Chapter 56 Casting Auditions

   The principal introduced the composition of the Performing Arts High School, which is divided into three departments: performance, music, and dance. This is a public high school that enrolls students throughout New York State. As long as you pass the entrance interview in one of the three directions, you can enter high school.

   This gives an artistically gifted child from a lower-class family a chance to stand out. Without this high performing arts major and children from families with poor financial conditions, they can only compete for art scholarships in private schools like Meg Tilly.

   Then their ascending channel will be much narrower.

   Director Alan Parker mainly introduced the plot of the movie "Hot Lunch", "This is a film that reflects the students of a public art high school. Eight students with different personalities, backgrounds and majors have experienced high growth in the performing arts major."

   "We hope to do a large-scale audition at the High School of Performing Arts. The eight leading roles, 16 secondary roles, and 600 ensemble performers of the film are all selected in your school."

   "Our performing arts high school is the largest and most comprehensive public arts high school in New York. It is the place where such movies should come. I am still a fan of your movie "Midnight Train"." The principal said.

   "We also hope to film scenes in your school. In addition, there are some teachers and principals in the movie, and I hope your school teachers and you can play."

   The principal laughed even more happily.

   Several parties negotiated. On weekends, large-scale auditions for the Performing Arts major are held.

  The audition will be held in the school auditorium. Two casting companies, each with 3 casting directors, selected 8 candidates for the leading roles separately. Students they think are suitable will be recommended to the director's classroom for a second round of interviews.

   Ronald's job is to take an audition photo of each selected student in the classroom for the second round of interviews, and then print two copies for the two casting companies to archive.

  After inspecting the venue, Ronald knew what to do and was about to leave when producer Da Silva approached him again.

   "Are you familiar with the script?"

   Ronald nodded.

   "What is the background of student Doris?"

   "Jewish, good at singing, average-looking, young Barbra Streisand."

   "Very good, keep it up." Da Silva pointed to his ear, indicating that there is a situation to report immediately.

   "If possible, can I ask why I do this?" Ronald asked, seeing that Da Silva was in a good mood. It's uncomfortable being caught between the producer and the director like this.

  David Da Silva stopped and looked at Ronald:

"You know, Ellen is a good director, but he's English. He doesn't understand our American mentality, we're born to win. In our films, the hero always wins over the villain. , hold the beauty back."

   Neither? Our Grand Commander Jimmy has all admitted on television that America no longer has the moral edge needed to lead the Allies.

   But maybe most of the people still think so, Ronald knows that many people hate the idea of ​​a grand commander.

   "Remember anything, and notify me as soon as possible." Producer Da Silva left first.

   Ronald went back to the conference room, waiting to take the director back to the casting studio.

   Alan Parker is still chattering, discussing his script with the teachers of the acting high school.

"My philosophy is to really reflect social realities. Such as race, class, so I set up the role of Leroy. He is from Harlem, a gang background, illiterate, but has a very high dance. talent."

   "The issue of juvenile pregnancy on high school campuses is a hot topic worth discussing. A white female student is pregnant with a black child, what should she do..."

   "The problem of bullying on campus, the problem of gangsters,..."

   The teacher of the Acting Department is also a black man, wearing black-rimmed glasses and nodding frequently. He was very satisfied with director Alan Parker's plot of black people and poor people, and he felt the same way.

   "But won't this cause everyone's misunderstanding of the high school of performing arts? Most of our students are still good students in the mainstream. If they are all set in this kind of role, our school will look like a very dark place."

   Another white female teacher was muttering.

   Ronald felt that something would happen if he continued talking. He stepped forward to interrupt the chat, and took Director Parker to the casting studio, where there are still the actors who were selected yesterday to audition.

   When we arrived at the casting studio, there were already dozens of boys and girls at the front desk, waiting with their managers. Ronald saw Michelle, who looked like a cat, and was also in the waiting queue.

   "Okay, we can start" producer Da Silva ordered the audition to begin.

   Actors are called into the audition room one by one. Ronald was in charge of taking a Polaroid snapshot of them, documenting the director's comments on file.

  The director will then give each actor a two-page script for her to perform live.

   This is the benefit of operating through a casting company. Casting studios are very familiar with actors and can quickly screen suitable candidates. If there is no casting director, and only audition is available, more time will be wasted.

The script given by the director    first was Hillary doing a series of ballet movements in the practice room, and then a dialogue scene.

   Ronald was in charge of calling. The actresses will first change into ballet training clothes and do a few simple rotations and positioning movements.

   Then the casting director, Howard Fair, will make a cameo role and have a few lines of dialogue with Hillary.

   Ronald couldn't quite understand why he had to set it up like this.

   He took down the director's comments and took the opportunity to ask Margery from the casting studio.

   Margery told him that this audition invitation stated that the role of Hillary must be able to dance ballet, and at least have a quasi-professional level.

   However, many actors often lied that they had the required skills for the chance to audition, and they chose to practice unexpectedly later. Today, such a link is set up to screen out those who lied about ballet.

   Sure enough, a few simple movements screened out an actress who couldn't do ballet. She couldn't even stand on one leg and fell to the ground. Margery was so angry that she put a "lie" on her resume.

  Ronald helped her out and called the next number by the way.

   "Michelle...Michelle poof..., not right; puff..., not right either."

   Ronald came from across the country after all, and he is not very good at pronunciation for this German-style spelling of two consonants together.

   "It's Michelle Pfeiffer, the P is silent", the cat-like girl laughed at him.

  "Sorry", Ronald also smiled, "Michelle, here's you, please go to the locker room and change into your practice clothes, then come in."

  Michelle changed into a lilac training suit, white ballet stockings, and pale pink dancing shoes. The long blond hair that had been draped on both sides of his cheeks was tied up, and a loose bun was pulled behind his head. In this way, her cat-like face is more prominent.

   Ronald took a Polaroid snapshot of her and put it on the audition form. It says Michelle Pfeiffer, blue eyes, 5-foot-7 (1.70 meters), 21 years old.

   Her face was very childish, and her voice was still high-pitched. If she didn't read her resume, Ronald thought she was under 18, so she would have no problem playing a high school student.

   "Prepare to move, start, rotate your legs, one circle, two circles, Arabesque." Margery pressed the recorder's play button and started shouting the password at the same time.

   "Okay, here we go."

   (end of this chapter)