"I guess I didn't perform well in my performance today. The director didn't invite me to the restaurant for dinner."
That night, Melanie Griffith complained to her manager Phyllis Carlisle at a pay phone near the set.
"I waited for them to call me, and waited until everyone on the set was gone, but Ronald and Harrison Ford left together first. I thought I would be invited to go with them. Alas..."
"Don't be like this, be strong, Melanie. I don't think it's because of the quality of acting. I heard that Harrison Ford's wife also went to that restaurant. I think it's celebrity wife syndrome..."
Manager Phyllis Carlisle has been helping Melanie Griffith to gather information. Now is the most important stage of filming. This client must not have any psychological problems. Not inviting her seems to be just the star's wife's hostility to the convention of actresses playing husbands and lovers in movies.
"Oh, my God. What's wrong with that old woman? It's more frustrating for me to say that than if the director hated my performance... I specifically used my mother's look in the Hitchcock movie today, Back then, even a fat old man like Hitchcock would be tempted..."
"Stop being sentimental, Melanie, what you need now is a strong heart like Tess. As long as you stick to it, you will become a star because of this movie. I asked someone to ask Ronald about your performance, and he I really enjoyed your performance.”
Behind the scenes, Phyllis Carlisle has been silently protecting Melanie Griffiths, an actress with great acting talent but a mess in life and not very good at cheating. From before filming started until now, there have been people at 20th Century Fox trying to replace her.
Fortunately, director Ronald has always been very positive about her and said good things to the film crew. We are now nearly a third of the way through the filming, and as long as we get through this period, changing angles is virtually impossible.
Because Harrison Ford's schedule is limited, the more scenes like this opposite him, the more solid Melanie Griffith's status will be.
"Hi Melanie..."
The next day, there was another scene with Alec Baldwin playing his ex-boyfriend. He came to the Staten Island filming location early in the morning to say hello to Griffith.
"Hi, Alec... you look handsome today." Melanie Griffiths was not invited to the dinner and was feeling quite disappointed. When she saw Alec Baldwin, whom she hadn't seen for a week, she started to think about him again. One eye started to discharge.
"You look fine too. Where is our director?"
"Decoration in the bar..." Melanie Griffiths came closer and teased Baldwin's upper body with her fingers.
"I'll go in first and say hello to Director Ronald." Baldwin politely refused.
"Oh, God, have I lost my allure to seduce men?" Griffiths was a little embarrassed and did not respond to the continued advances of the male actors on the set. She cleared her throat, opened the door and walked into the bar where the scenery had been set up.
"Ricky (Lake), be yourself and enjoy the atmosphere, okay?"
Ronald was directing the positions of the extras. He had tried it twice before. Those extras from Broadway were a little unsure of the charm of disco dancing. Ronald had no choice but to call the heroine of "Hairspray", Ricky Lake, to come to the rescue and let her play a fat secretary who enjoys the atmosphere of the bar and dances disco. Anyway, she happened to be in "Hairspray" and did a great job doing the swing dance that was the precursor to disco.
"a!"
Following Ronald's order, the "Pointer Sisters" band's disco hit song "I'm so excited (I'm so excited)" played from the live speakers.
"I'm so excited.
I just can't hide it.
I'm about to lose control
And I think I like that. "
The camera was pushed all the way on the guide rail, and many actors who could dance with disco charm in previous dance rehearsals were put together in pairs.
Ronald learned the key to dance scenes while filming "Dirty Dancing". The dance partner does not have to be good-looking and sexy. As long as the two people's movements are unique and matched with each other, good results can be achieved.
Ricky Lake and a fat actor became a couple, and they danced the best among all the extras. Ronald also arranged a pair of middle-aged dance partners and several other young people with explosive hairstyles along the path of the camera.
"cut!"
In this unimportant cutscene, Ronald still arranged it very seriously. The biggest difference between a big-time A-list production and a mid- to low-cost B-level movie is in these shots.
All extras, even if they only have a few seconds of footage, will be carefully selected. All the scenery, even if it only appears for a few seconds, will be done according to the needs of the plot and meticulously.
This is a tacit understanding reached between the audience and the producers, a contract that does not need to be written out. If it's a B-level movie, then the audience will tolerate it if they see supporting characters that don't fit the plot, bad special effects, distracting scenes, etc., because before watching it, they know they can't go into it too deeply.
For a big production like "Working Girl", the audience is meant to be completely immersed in the plot, and follow the director's arrangements to have an interesting dream that is impossible to have in life. Directors who are good at making this kind of movie will pay great attention to details. Just in case something is not careful enough and the audience will be disappointed.
"Joan, Alec, it's your turn."
Ronald then filmed a scene where Joan Cusack's character Sheen and Alec Baldwin's ex-boyfriend Mick are having a conversation together.
The recorder restarted the music and continued it where it had been paused, making it easier to edit afterwards. The two actors were sitting together. Mick was drinking from a glass filled with spirits. Next to him, Xin's friend, played by Ricky Lake, was looking to the other side, interacting with the male actor off-screen. Flirting men and women. Be a qualified human flesh background.
"Tess will come, right?" Alec Baldwin tilted his neck, drank a glass of strong wine, and asked his and Tess's mutual friend, Xin, who was engaged today.
"Of course, today is my engagement party. If she dares not come, she will be dead in my house from now on."
The filming continued, and Melanie Griffiths walked in wearing the same clothes as yesterday, with the same haircut, and holding a leather briefcase. Because the plot happened to follow yesterday, the scene notes recorded the detailed dressing.
Xin told Tess that Mick was in a bad mood today and asked her to give the old dog a bone to cheer him up. Tess walked over and sat next to Mick.
"Tess..." Mick saw Tess. This was the first time the two met after he was caught having an affair.
"Asshole..." Tess still couldn't forgive the other party.
"You look different today..."
"Yes, I'm no longer the pitiful, trusting bastard I was a few days ago."
Tess's words were sharp and she asked the bartender for whiskey.
Mick came to Xin's engagement party today to find a chance to win back Tess. Seeing the new-looking Tess made his heart for reconciliation even hotter.
"I mean your dress...your hair, you look very classy today. Are you going to court for a traffic fine?" Mick's last sentence ruined the atmosphere, which did not help his idea of getting back together at all. .
He felt that Tess was a blue-collar worker like him, and dressing up like a boss was a betrayal of her class and would make it impossible to achieve her dream. Blurt out words when angry.
"I just got off work from the company. In the past two days...well, I've been promoted." Tess was very angry. This ex-boyfriend never had a kind word for her dreams and would always be sarcastic when he had the opportunity.
Mick also knew that he could not win back Tess, so he poured two glasses of wine and raised his glass to toast. "Well, for Xin and Tim, for your promotion, for the fishing boat loan I got..."
"You got it? That's great..." Tess was happy for him. This was Mick's long-held dream to have his own fishing boat to go fishing on Long Island.
The atmosphere between the two changed from awkward and confrontational to happy. Mick's carefully prepared rhetoric had an effect. The two had talked about this blue-collar dream many times before. Today Mick's dream came true, allowing the two of them to enjoy a drink at least as much as friends.
"Uh...wuwu..." The disco music stopped, and a burst of soft music came. is Chris DeBurgh's adult ballad, "lady in red"
“I’ve never seen you look as cute as you did tonight.
I have never seen you shine so brightly.
I've never seen so many men ask you if you want to dance.
If there's even the slightest chance, they'll look for a little romance. "
Mick and Tess both let out a long breath, the romantic feeling returning. The two stood up and jumped together, their heads getting closer until they could smell each other's breath.
"cut!"
The two have a high degree of tacit understanding. If I can insist on letting Alec Baldwin play the leading actor Jack Traynor, it may be a better choice. Ronald shook his head to get rid of this useless thought. 20th Century Fox still has the final say in the important casting of such a large-scale production.
Melanie Griffiths and Alec Baldwin looked at each other. The look in the plot and the slow dance afterwards made her feel that the other person also had feelings for her, but she didn't know whether it was because of the drama or...
"The following is the proposal scene, we will take a two-hour break."
With the lights and cameras in place, Ronald ordered:
"a!"
Joan Cusack still has a hairstyle like a lion. She and the actor who plays her boyfriend are opening engagement gifts from everyone together.
"A brief moment to be together and enjoy the whole family life... Love you Mick and Tess."
The actor was reading the card that came with the gift. After taking it apart, it is a set of women's sexy underwear, stockings, and garters, a complete set of equipment.
Melanie Griffiths looked at Alec Baldwin, and the camera captured an ambiguous and awkward look.
Ronald kept nodding behind the camera. Mick was still a low-level man who didn't know how to give gifts that made people feel respected. All gifts were related to matters between men and women.
Melanie Griffiths no longer volunteered to excuse Mick like she did when she received the same birthday gift, but looked at Mick played by Baldwin with a little scrutiny, and there was a little sexy desire in her eyes, The psychological transformation of the characters is well performed.
"When can we drink your engagement wine?" Xin's boyfriend thought about his old friend Mick and helped him create opportunities. "To seize the opportunity, you have to ask a woman..."
"Mick, Mick, Mick, Mick..." All the extras in the audience were cheering for Mick. They thought Mick was just missing the mark.
Only Xin, who knew that Mick had been caught raping, covered his face with his hands, something happened.
Mick, played by Alec Baldwin, knelt down on one foot, held Tess's hand in both, and asked the classic question.
Tess, played by Melanie Griffiths, twitched her hand hard, but before she could pull it out, she heard Mick ask again, "Will you marry me?"
"Maybe……"
"Maybe? Is this your answer?" Mick, played by Alec Baldwin, has a perfect expression on his face, as if he is saying: I have prepared so much, aren't you willing?
"If you want other answers, just ask other girls..." Tess has changed a lot in the past two days. She is no longer the woman who only caters to her boyfriend. Pretending to be her boss's colleague, she successfully negotiated with the best broker on Wall Street, which gave her a lot of confidence.
"cut!"
Just in time to capture the awkward reactions of the extras when they heard this answer, Ronald stopped with satisfaction.
Next, we have to shoot an outdoor scene in a bar to make Mick and Tess break up completely. Today's scene will be completed with high quality.
"Alec, do you want to have a drink tonight? I have some good Scotch whiskey there. We can just catch up on the scene where we didn't drink enough." Melanie Griffiths stopped Alec who was about to take a rest. ·Baldwin.
Griffiths, who was rejected by Harrison Ford's wife for dinner, felt that her chemistry with Baldwin was great today and she wanted to try it again...
"Melanie, I said it last time. My principle is not to get along with my colleagues...you know, this will be very troublesome. You are a very attractive woman, but I am sorry."
Alec Baldwin politely declined Griffiths' attempt again.
"Principles... hum..." Melanie Griffiths was a little annoyed. The other party obviously didn't like her. The look in his eyes during the filming just now was just the performance of an outstanding actor to another actor.
So who was I? I had thrown myself into his arms twice and was rejected so coldly. I was just greedy for Baldwin's beauty, and I didn't want to get married like in the movie plot.
When it got dark at night, Ronald was outside the bar, looking at the back door of the bar illuminated by the headlights, and called a.
The back door was pushed open, Melanie Griffiths put on a windbreaker, and slowly walked down the wooden steps. Alec Baldwin was behind her. There seemed to be a wall of gas between the two, and his head was facing Both directions, no eye contact.
"This design is very good." Ronald nodded vigorously. Both of them are good actors. They were affectionate just now, but now their eyes separated as soon as they met. This kind of performance must be enjoyable for the audience.
"You just fucking humiliated me in front of all these people," Alec Baldwin said. He was harassed by Melanie Griffiths again and felt terrible, which brought that emotion into the performance.
"You asked for it! What do you expect me to say? Are you lying in front of so many people?" Melanie Griffiths was not too angry. She took the initiative to invite and was rejected like this. The actress did not want For face?
"I didn't want you to lie. I thought you wanted me to propose like this."
The photographer fixed the camera with a stabilizer and stepped back quickly. The focus puller next to him worked carefully. The camera always tightly captured the close-ups of the two actors' faces, capturing all the subtle expressions on the film.
"Three days ago, I found you and Doreen in bed, and today you treat me to a drink and a dance, and then suddenly, you're going to let me make a decision for the rest of my life?"
Melanie Griffiths' face was twisted with anger. People like Baldwin are just terrible. Today, I am not dressed like a secretary when I took the initiative last time. Today, I am dressed like the ugly duckling after the transformation. She is very elegant, but this person just doesn't want to...
"Okay, now it's just the two of us. Let me ask you again, are you willing?" Alec Baldwin's voice rose.
"Does this have to be decided now? I said maybe..." Melanie Griffith's voice also rose, and this scene was like the conversation they had just had in reverse. When he took the initiative, Baldwin always opposed it.
"Christ Jesus, what else do you have in mind? Yes, yes, maybe no."
"I need time to think about it...don't treat me like this."
"Fuxk, I want an answer now." Mick's volume suddenly increased and he started to curse. "Who the hell is going to have a discussion with you about your treatment? Who do you think you are? Grace Kelly?"
Grace Kelly? Melanie Griffiths was completely enraged by this improvisation. Sure enough, I still dislike myself for not being pretty enough. It’s just what everyone wants, and I’m not looking for a wife. Why do I have such high requirements for appearance?
"Please don't yell at me, I'm not a steak that you can order anytime, anywhere..." Melanie also said an improvised line.
"That's great," Ronald said excitedly behind the camera. This line was so clever that it almost seemed like it was written in advance. The lower class people in America like to compare handsome men and beautiful women to steak, and "order" also puns on "order (also called order in English)".
It was like a divine help today!
"Look, I'm not going to accept this from you. Figure out your priorities and maybe we can talk again. We're officially over now."
Alec Baldwin saw the contempt in Melanie's eyes, and his reaction was great. He said a few harsh words, turned his head, and walked out in the opposite direction of the camera without looking back.
The camera operator panned the camera slightly to the left, following his retreating figure.
The focus puller immediately adjusted the hyperfocal distance, and the depth of field was infinite. All the images captured by the camera, whether it was Baldwin nearby, the fields in the distance, the cars further away, or the road and the scenery in the background. The pipes are clearly visible under the deep focus lens.
At this time, Melanie Griffiths, who was at the edge of the screen, turned her head and faced the camera 45 degrees from the side. She, who was originally at the edge, suddenly occupied more than one-third of the viewfinder width.
The focus operator was a veteran. He turned the focus knob as fast as a flywheel. In less than a second, he adjusted it from infinity to the closest close-up. With a snap, the focus was fixed on the tip of Melanie Griffith's nose. at.
Melanie Griffiths breathed out, her shoulders relaxing. The features on her face and the details of her hair are all clear, and Alec Baldwin behind him has become the out-of-focus background of the model lake in the depth of field.
】
Melanie Griffiths swallowed, as if Tess was saying goodbye to Mick's past.
"Cut!" Ronald was very happy. The shot was shot in one go. The camera crew and technicians did their job perfectly, and Melanie Griffiths' performance was outstanding.
"Awesome! I love this shot."
Next, Ronald invites Melanie and Alec to dinner as a celebration of their extraordinary performance today.
"I have an appointment with someone and I have to go first." Alec Baldwin offered to go first because he didn't want to get involved with Melanie anymore.
"I'm going back too, director." Melanie Griffiths couldn't help but offered to leave first.
"Well, remember to come early tomorrow, we are going to film Mick's wedding." Ronald agreed with a smile. The actor was tired from working overtime at night, "You have to wear an ugly green bridesmaid dress, come early to try on the dress."
"knew……"
Early the next morning, Ronald arrived earlier than all the actors.
This is a church in the South Side of Manhattan, where the scene where Sheen and her boyfriend got married was filmed. As a best friend, Tess will attend her best friend's wedding as one of the four bridesmaids.
This episode takes place when Tess's manager, Catherine, comes back from the resort. At a meeting between him and Teske Enterprises to discuss the acquisition of the radio station, it is revealed that Tess is just a secretary and takes the idea as her own.
Tess had nothing in her career, and met Mick again at Xin's wedding. He was already with Doreen, who was caught raping in bed, and was about to get married.
This is the part of the plot where Tess hits rock bottom and is about to enter the third act, heading towards the finale in one go. Ronald shot this scene in the middle, mainly to coordinate everyone's schedule, and combined with Melanie's performance, this scene will be more emotionally coherent after the breakup with Mick, which will help the performance.
Not only the technical staff and actors, but also senior executives from 20th Century Fox also came to visit the filming. Wedding scenes are always regarded as a symbol of good luck, and senior executives usually choose this time to come over to check on the progress and shooting quality, so as not to offend others.
"Why hasn't Melanie come yet?" Ronald looked at his watch. It was already time for the actors to put on their makeup. If he didn't come yet, the magic light in the early morning would be missed.
"The call came to her room, but no one answered..." After a while, the assistant came over to report.
"Find her manager. Damn it, the top management of Fox happened to be here today. Doesn't this make me unhappy? Find me Melanie's manager." Ronald had already started yelling.
"Phyllis Carlisle..." The assistant took a telephone in the church and handed the receiver to Ronald. Over there was the manager who was extremely anxious after learning that Melanie did not appear on the set.
"I don't care what you can do, bring her to me within half an hour. A senior executive from Fox is here to visit us today. You don't want him to see this, and tell her to get out and change roles, right?"
