MTL - Exploiting Hollywood 1980-Chapter 94 play within play

   Chapter 94

   "asshole!" Ronald held up a large paper sign with the lines written on it.

   "asshole!", the club members of the Rocky Horror Show offstage shouted neatly.

   "Where's your neck?" Ronald changed a sign and held it up.

   "Where's your neck?" the members in the audience shouted.

   "Cheers!" Ronald picked up another sign.

  The members started cheering.

   Ronald held up the sign.

The cheers of    members grew louder and louder.

   Ronald lowered the sign,

  The members turned to whispers.

   "Very good, I'll stick to this intensity when I'm officially shooting," Alan Parker shouted, expressing satisfaction.

   Ronald contacted the president of the "Rocky Horror Show" fan club for the director. They were very happy to be able to appear in another movie with their favorite movie. Agreed to participate without a penny.

   Members dressed up and put on their best cosplay costumes. Even the water gun that imitates the rain, I also found the two thickest ones.

   After the group rehearsal was completed, the director of photography began to direct the lighting team to set the lights.

   To shoot the dark environment in the cinema, only the human face is illuminated by the screen, is a very test of the ability of the lighting supervisor.

   Taking advantage of the lighting time, Ronald and the acquaintances of the club chatted a few more times. Although the midnight show has been replaced with many new films, they still have their own base. There are also two theaters that are still putting on the "Rocky Horror Show".

  The current midnight show is no longer a movie monopoly market. In addition to "High School of Rock", in which Ronald participated, there were also several horror films that carved up the market together. Although "Rock High" has a good reputation, it only accounts for about a quarter of the theaters.

   "It doesn't have the momentum of the Rocky Horror Show that dominated the midnight show." The president of the fan club concluded.

   After lighting was done, the director first shot the audience's reaction shots. Ronald took the stage again, holding a sign for the audience to respond appropriately.

   He himself is behind the camera, so the picture of holding the sign will not be taken into the camera, and what the audience will see in the future will only be the cheers of the club members.

   Don't worry that the "Rocky Horror Show" is not being played on stage. Through post-editing and mixing, the clips played on the screen will be added to the film, making the audience feel that these people are watching another film in the film.

  The director of photography finished shooting the reaction shots, moved the camera to the stage, and began to schedule the cosplay song and dance clips on the stage.

   The so-called scheduling is to arrange the position and movement of the camera so that the actor is always within the scope of the camera. The actions of the lighting group must meet the scheduling requirements.

  A dozen men who cosplayed as maids were filmed in a row on the stage, ready to rehearse the scene of dancing and singing in front of the screen. Ronald explained to them what the camera was pointing and where, and told them not to look at the camera.

   These cosplay enthusiasts perform this part every time they participate in the event, they are already very proficient and do not need more rehearsal.

   Alan Parker looking satisfied behind the camera. "Is Ronnie always hanging out with these alternative people? I think he gets along well with them."

   The director asked an assistant who had been on the set.

   "He gets along well with everyone, and he has a good relationship with Gene," the assistant replied.

   Ronald didn't know that the director was asking about his gossip, he explained it to the cosplayers, and silently retreated to a safe position where the camera lens couldn't capture it. Handed over the center of the stage to them and the director.

The crew is also a place full of hierarchy. Ronald is very aware of his position. Every time he finishes his work, he gives up the commanding position to the director. He does not want to repeat the mistakes of Barry Miller and compete with the director. position on the power ladder.

The    cosplayers danced, and Maureen Tiffie, who played Doris, with eyes full of longing, took off her coat and rushed onto the stage to dance with them.

  Ralph, played by Barry Miller, sat in the seat with a very surprised expression, and Doris was able to break through her shyness and start her career as an actor.

   "Very good, let's shoot like this next", director Alan Parker signaled the camera crew to start measuring the focus and prepare to shoot. Doris has a wide range of motion in the camera, and it is a test whether the follower can keep up with her and keep focusing.

  Ronald felt that the director looked at himself a bit more times today, but he wasn't looking for himself, as if he was staring at him. So I decided to keep a low profile and quietly quit the shooting scene.

   In addition to keeping an eye on Barry Miller as explained by the producer, Ronald doesn’t actually need to appear at the theater today. Maybe the director is a little weird about him appearing on occasions where he shouldn’t.

   Ronald started the car and drove to Harlan High School, where rehearsals were taking place for the next few days.

   This is also one of Ronald's dreams. Bruno, a talented student who mixes with electronic synthesizers, always has no confidence in his own music.

  Bruno's father, Anglo, took Bruno's tape, installed two loudspeakers in his taxi, and drove to the school gate to play music.

All the art school students, after hearing this novel song, rushed out of the school and started dancing on the street. The students flooded the street and forced the passing vehicles to stop. They simply climbed into the car. Top, let yourself dance.

   Choreographer Luis Falco did a lot of preparation for the biggest dance scene in the film.

   There are more than 60 dancers in the large-scale dance scene. How each dancer enters and dances must be carefully designed.

  The choreographer seized the gap between the director's filming of the acting students' scenes and has guided the dancers to rehearse at the scene for three days.

  The actors are divided into two groups: ballet and jazz, dancing to the music of Donna Summer's "Hot Stuff". Ronald couldn't understand it, but felt that the arrangement was very layered.

   The soundtrack of this scene is the theme song "Fame", and the composer Michael Gore has not yet finished it, so during the rehearsal, the disco "hot stuff" with similar rhythm is played.

   This old-fashioned disco made Ronald's ears itch when he heard it. He quickly nodded to Antonia and Gene in the crowd and escaped from the rehearsal scene.

  In the Harlan High School, I saw producer David Da Silva chatting with a lady in a suit and skirt from a distance.

   "Nancy, I thought we could work with you like the white suit that Travolta wore on Saturday Night Fever."

"David, we are old friends. When I contacted you, I also wanted to do another business like Travolta's white suit. But it is undeniable that Travolta is the only male protagonist of Saturday Night Fever, and Your movie has eight leads, and we at JCPENNY wouldn't take that chance."

   "Well, I thought we could make a win-win business." Da Silva shook hands with the manager-like man.

   It sounds like the producer wants to do a business development around the movie with JCPenney Department Store, and sell the clothes of the hero and heroine in the department store.

   If so, is there a chance for a self-invented leg warmer?

   Ronald stopped Ms. Nancy at the exit:

"Hello, Ms. Nancy, I'm Ronald Lee, the screenwriter of the crew. I invented a dance accessory for the crew, which is very popular with dancers. I wonder if I can ask you to take a look and see if there is a business Potential to work with Jace Penney?"

   Ronald boldly spoke out about his ambitions.

"Ronald? Are you really a screenwriter? I think you're more like an actor on the set." Nancy doesn't really dislike people recommending products by themselves. She has met many inventors in business development, but like this one She has never met such a lame liar who claims to be a movie screenwriter at such a young age.

  "This is my business card", Ronald handed over his portrait photographer's business card, "In addition to being a photographer, I'm also a film student at New York University, and I have a signature on the screenwriter column of this film."

   Ronald took out the script again and showed Nancy his signature on the cover.

   "Oh, I have to say I'm a little surprised." Nancy said after reading Ronald's signature.

   "I invented a clothing accessory for dancers called leg warmers. I think they like it very much. I think it has great commercial potential. I wonder if you have time to see how they wear my invention?"

   "Why not? I've been amazed by you once today, and I don't mind being amazed again."

   Ronald led Nancy to the rehearsal room, Jean and Antonia were wearing leg warmers, really dancing to the music, practicing the movements choreographed for them.

   "This is my invention, the leg warmers, the short ones cover the ankles and the long ones cover the knees all the way. I've had a lawyer file a design patent application"

  Ronald began to introduce the effect of leg warmers to Nancy.

   "Remove the bottom of the socks, but it has a better visual effect. I have to say, this is a good design concept."

  Nancy complimented the leg warmers.

   "Is there a chance that my invention will be sold in JCPenney?" Ronald was overjoyed.

   "No, Ronald. You misunderstood me," said Nancy Penney's business development manager.

   "Department stores are a unique form of business. When you come to JCPenney, it's a shopping mentality, so we provide products that are frequently purchased and conform to fashion trends."

   "Your invention has very good design thinking, but it's for a very small market - dancers. JC Penney wouldn't put him on the counter."

   Ah, so it is. Ronald suddenly realized. Although leg warmers are popular with dancers, people who don't dance don't have the need to wear them. Therefore, it can only be sold to dancers.

  The market is too small to enter the department store.

   "Thank you, Ms. Nancy, I'm sorry for wasting your time."

   "It's okay, I rarely see an artistic talent like you who understands business thinking. In the future, you may come to me when you have new movies and new inventions."

  Nancy gave Ronald a business card.

   "Also, if I were you, I'd consider opening a store in front of the dance school to sell these leg warmers. Take this opportunity to make some quick money."

   "This thing has no technical content. Every mother who sees it can make a set for her daughter. Thousands of ballet mothers pirated your designs. Can you sue them one by one?"

   "So it's better to take advantage of the wave that may be caused among dance students after the movie is released, and make a fortune before the pirated version comes out."

   (end of this chapter)