"Ronald, I'm glad to have a communication expert like you to help me at this time..."
George Jr. later called to talk to Ronald specifically about his father's electoral lag. The campaign team was divided into a communication faction headed by campaign consultant Roger Ailes, and a smear faction headed by another campaign consultant, Lee Ewart.
Roger Ailes believed that the reason for lagging behind was because of George Sr.’s poor communication some time ago. The current leader should learn from the strategy he used to win the election eight years ago, strengthen his propaganda to potential voters, and focus on issues they care about, such as tax cuts, dealing with illegal immigrants, focusing on the economy, etc...
And the young and outrageous Lee Ewart believes that the current backwardness is due to insufficient attacks on the Donkey Party candidate Dukakis. We should intensify our efforts to dig up dirt on the other party, distort it, take it out of context, and set targets. Voters are more interested in these gossips than serious issues. As long as the attack is effective, the dirt on Dukakis will become real and he can no longer get rid of it...
George's mother, Barbara, is the de facto campaign manager. She requires all her children to contribute to their father's current unfavorable situation and continue to attend various fundraising events in various places to obtain funds for advertising.
Now at the critical moment, little George and his younger brother Jeb are also facing the problem of taking sides. The political scene in America is very realistic. Although you are the former deputy commander, the election situation is worrying. Except for those action committees with advanced ideas, general campaign sponsors have reduced their donation amounts or suspended their support for George's campaign. Donate.
The limited campaign budget can only focus on one direction, either attacking his opponent Dukaski or strengthening communication with middle voters. In front of Barbara, who has always been rewarded based on merit, which son's judgment is correct, then the family's resources will undoubtedly be directed in that direction in the future.
Little George himself couldn't think of the answer to such a complicated question, so he thought of Ronald. During the party's primary election, my father relied on Ronald's advertisement to gain a big advantage. Now I just need to ask him, wouldn't it?
"George, you really think too highly of me. Elections are obviously a very complicated business, and I can only do some creative work. And now that your father is the candidate of the Elephant Party, there is no shortage of advertising creativity. Talents."
Ronald looked at Douglas Jr. who was beside him. This was the strategy the two of them had agreed upon. If they asked for money, they would give it to them. If they wanted some advice or the team would not discuss it.
"Come on, Ronald, this is very important to me... Well, my father, I hope to get your help. My mother is a very fair person, as long as I... you can help with the campaign, you will be in the White House in the future One of the most popular guests.”
"It's not that I don't want to help you, but I really don't understand the situation. If I give wrong advice, wouldn't it help Dukakis instead?" Ronald continued to shirk.
"No, although I don't understand elections, I have pretty good taste. I know what good things are. Your last advertisement, Laura and I both saw it as good stuff at a glance... I know it will definitely appeal to voters. Like it and win their support..."
What little George said was very sincere. He is not a particularly smart person, but as an ordinary person, he is more able to empathize with the voters who are also ordinary people. "Ronald, I know you are not a member of our team and cannot give any advice. Let me ask you this, if it were you, which one would you vote for more when you see an ad attacking Dukaski or an ad that directly communicates with voters? Where’s my father’s ticket?”
"Besides the fact that I respect your father's philosophy of governing the country and love your mother's people-friendly demeanor, is there any more important reason other than the fact that we are buddies who drink beer and eat barbecue together?" Seeing that there was no way to avoid it, Ronald started to speak. Just a joke to relax little George's mood.
"Yeah, that's what I mean, buddy." Little George was also amused by Ronald.
"To be honest, I'm not interested in Dukaski at all (because Dukaski strongly hinted that he would raise taxes and tighten regulations on industries like Hollywood and Wall Street), and your father promised to continue the current economic policies and continue to tax With preferential treatment, more entrepreneurs can be cultivated, and with more entrepreneurs, there will be more jobs and stable families."
"Damn, you're so right...Ronald, I really like you." Little George on the other end of the phone strongly agreed. I spent every day in the campaign team, and was stunned by the voter figures, analytical reports, and all kinds of Dukaski's black material that Lee Ewart put up. Discrediting an opponent can only make voters who are originally inclined to the opponent not to vote, but it cannot increase the number of potential votes on one's side. Obviously, George Sr.'s current predicament is the rapid reduction of his own ticket holdings.
"I have to come over and interview you. What you said makes so much sense. I think what you said is more useful than Lee Ewart's hundred investigation reports." Little George still feels like this concept, which is easier to understand. .
"No, I'm going to Chicago to film a movie soon. I won't be here even if you come." Ronald felt that he was not suitable to give any more advice. What if they really believed it and the old George still didn't improve after using it? Wouldn't that be bad?
"It doesn't matter, then I'll go to Chicago. It just so happens that Jeb and I have to go to various fundraisers, so Laura and I will go to Chicago."
…
"Attention all departments, camera? Recording? Action!"
A few days later, on Chicago's South Side, on the University of Chicago campus near Hyde Park, a film crew was filming beautiful autumn scenes.
"I love you……"
"I love you……"
Harry, played by Billy Crystal, is kissing a brown-haired beauty sweetly and passionately. Director of photography Barry Sonnenfeld directed the camera to quickly circle around the two people, giving the audience a full 360-degree view of the ice cream.
The close-up shot focuses on the kiss between the two of them. The two actors are very dedicated in their acting, and the audience's attention is focused here.
Ronald raised his hand to indicate that a yellow SUV from behind quietly drove into the camera. The large trunk of the SUV was still empty, but there was a box firmly placed above it.
This was a very common carpooling arrangement in America in the late 1970s. When two college graduates go to other cities to look for opportunities, they often carpool and take turns driving to their destination.
"Um...ahem..." The camera's focus shifted to the car's cab glass. Sitting there is none other than Sally, played by Meg Ryan. She waited for a long time, but Harry and his girlfriend still hadn't finished kissing. Sally couldn't bear it and could only remind her.
"Cut!"
Ronald stopped with satisfaction. The filming went smoothly beyond expectations. Billy Crystal played such a young man very smoothly. Harry, who has just graduated from college and is arrogant and moaning for no reason, was played very well by him.
It's just that he is a little older and his hair is not thick enough. The makeup artist gave him a messy hairstyle that he didn't pay much attention to. Coupled with a pullover, he has the image of a graduate who has just entered society, which completes his image.
Meg Ryan is a credit to the casting. She is such a simple, sensitive, and even naive female college student who believes in various social "norms" and is well protected by her family (before becoming an actress) , Meg Ryan is just months away from graduating college).
"Very good, this reservation, let's do it again...".
Ronald called again. In this kind of love and romance drama, the most important thing is that the male and female protagonists must have a chemical reaction. Shooting a few more scenes will help to try a variety of methods during post-editing, which is better than other movies shot by Ronald. There are obviously more movies.
"What flavor do you want this time? Banana? OK, here you go..."
Billy Crystal was a gentleman. Before filming the kissing scene, he offered chewing gum to the actress and took one himself. He is a comedian, writes his own scripts, and speaks very skillfully. He does not ask the other person if he wants it, but what kind of taste he wants.
Many celebrities don't have very good personal hygiene. It would be a relief for both parties to be prepared with some chewing gum, especially in a kiss scene that lasts for tens of seconds. If one of them has bad breath, it will be sour.
After the kiss scene was filmed, Harry's girlfriend introduced both parties. One is Harry Burns and the other is Sally Albright. They are all graduates of the University of Chicago and are going to New York to start a new chapter in their lives.
This is what makes this romantic comedy unique. The male and female protagonists do not shy away from suspecting that they have other lovers. This is a fairy tale about the real world, about two men and women looking for true love in the city. So it is normal to have other objects.
"Action!"
The crew then set up the camera inside the Gothic-style gate of the University of Chicago.
The camera filmed the yellow SUV slowly driving out of the University of Chicago gate, and then the lifting device gradually raised, giving a meaningful cinematic shot.
Such a shot is given at the beginning of the movie. In addition to giving the audience some visual enjoyment, it also implies a metaphor that leaves an imprint on the audience's subconscious. This implies that the two embarked on a journey of life.
The two drove out from the gate of the university, from the ivory tower of the university campus, into the real arena of life.
"Cut!"
After shooting a few more scenes, Ronald felt that it went very smoothly. He had good actors in his hands and the scenes were familiar. Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan felt as if they had performed hundreds of Shakespeare plays. Like a Broadway actor, there is nothing dull about it.
I looked at my watch and saw that the shooting ended more than an hour early. Ronald took out a light meter and measured it against the sky a few times. Today's cloudy weather was very nice, and under the same lighting conditions, he could take a few shots inside the car.
"Bring the big monster over here..."
Ronald waved his hand and asked the people below to drive a car over. At first glance, this car looks very similar to the yellow SUV that Meg Ryan drove just now.
In addition to the front and sides of the car, extended steel shelves were installed to facilitate the camera crew squatting on them to shoot interior shots. Because it looked like the kind of monster trucks that competed in racing tracks and could crush each other, Ronald gave it the name Big Monster.
"Action!"
This time the filming crew moved outside the University of Chicago. The camera team squatted on the steel frame in front of the big monster and started shooting towards the cab.
Because for this kind of in-car shot, you have to vaguely see the spire of the University of Chicago behind through the rear window of the SUV, so the scene had to be shot at the entrance to Hyde Park on Chicago's South Side.
Ronald's crew applied to Chicago City Hall for filming in advance. However, the area where Hyde Park is located is the South City, the most chaotic area in Chicago. Chicago specifically reminds you not to stray too far from the University of Chicago campus, otherwise it will be dangerous.
Sure enough, after leaving the short road of a few hundred meters at the school gate and crossing a crossroad, we reached a dangerous area where black people gathered. There were many black people wearing various old clothes donated by charities, watching the excitement from across the road.
A tall black man wearing a US military M65 jacket, and a few short black men, were whistling and looking at the beauties in the crew.
"Shh..." Ronald made a silent gesture to them.
As a result, these people whistled more brazenly.
Ronald also wanted to go over and give them some benefits, asking them not to interfere with the crew's simultaneous sound recording. Little Bud, who was holding Ronald's thermos cup next to him, grabbed him and said to Ronald, "Look over there. On the telephone pole..."
Ronald looked up and saw a pair of sneakers hanging on the wire.
"It's a sign from black gangs that someone has been killed in a fight. It's not a nice place like Harlem in New York."
"Okay, the worst thing is the post-dubbing." Ronald stopped insisting and asked the assistant director to negotiate with the police officer who came to maintain order.
The other party said that as long as the filming did not exceed the crossroads, there would be no danger. The gangs here are very particular about the division of power. They know that the University of Chicago belongs to the most respectable area in the South City. If they cross the line and cause trouble and harass the crew and become a national scandal, they may be purged by Mayor Daley's family with an iron fist.
Ronald told the driver of the Big Monster to slow down. The car started slowly.
Meg Ryan pretends to stretch her hands forward as if she's driving a vehicle, but it's all a show. The real driver is a professional driver, sitting in the driver's seat installed in front.
When performing, actors must pay full attention and receive signals from their rival actors at any time. If they drive while distracted, it will affect the performance and even cause safety problems.
"Action!"
Ronald called on the car, and Meg Ryan pretended to hold the steering wheel, shaking it by herself while talking to Billy Crystal.
"We will drive 18 hours along the way. I have already made a plan to switch to six shifts, each driving three hours. Or we can also switch shifts based on equivalent mileage... huh?"
Sally, played by Meg Ryan, was explaining the carpooling situation. Harry, played by Billy Crystal, stood up and turned 180 degrees, and his big butt squeezed into Sally's side.
Meg Ryan's look of disgust is very real, and it looks like Billy's acting is also very real.
"Want to eat grapes?" It turned out that Harry turned around and went to the seat at the back to get the fruit he had prepared.
"No, I don't like to eat between meals." Meg Ryan raised her chin as she spoke. Her confident, well-bred, and good-living attitude as a woman was fully demonstrated. It seems that by not eating snacks, Sally is more responsible for her own life than Harry.
"Well..." Harry, played by Billy Crystal, has a "don't eat your own loss" expression.
"Pfft..." Harry didn't stop there. He spit out the remaining grape seeds and stuck them on the car window.
This vulgar and careless behavior immediately shocked Sally. She didn't expect that there were such vulgar men in this world.
Meg Ryan's performance is very layered. She looks away at first, as if avoiding the vomit-stained glass window. Then his eyes moved from side to side, not knowing what to say. Good upbringing makes the character Sally speechless at this time, not knowing how to condemn this behavior.
"I'll roll down the window..." Harry rolled down the window nonchalantly.
"Pfft..." With another mouthful, he spit out the grape seeds out of the car window.
"Cut!"
Sitting on a chair on the steel frame outside "Big Monster", Ronald watched the entire performance. He was very satisfied with the scene. The two people's performances were natural and layered. The script is full of enthusiasm and restraint, and the slovenly energy of a college graduate like Harry, who is just starting out, and the refined attitude of a college girl like Sally are both very well expressed.
"Let's change sides, go to Harry's side of the window, and take another shot." Ronald directed everyone to change the steel frame on one side and continue shooting.
"Director, how is my performance? Why don't you tell me about the scene?" Billy Crystal was surprised. Since filming started today, Ronald has not said a word to him or discussed a single issue about performance. .
"Why are you talking about drama?" Ronald replied with a smile.
"You know, the director always wants to talk to the actors about how their performance was, where do you expect me to be more powerful, where do you want me to be less powerful, what problems do I have... bah bah bah..."
Billy Crystal has never collaborated with Ronald. Why doesn't Ronald do these things?
"You are an actor, and this is your job. My job is to remind you when there are deviations in your performance. Now that you have no deviations, let's continue..."
Ronald is a director who likes to shoot the first scene. He believes that the first scene is when everyone is most curious about the performance and is also the most unfamiliar with the play. The performance at this time is closest to the reaction of a normal person. .
Especially in this kind of romance drama, the first chemical reaction is always the best.
"Is there really no room for improvement in my performance?" It was the first time for Billy Crystal to see a director who trusted him so much, and he was a little unconvinced.
"Of course, I'll let you know if necessary..." Ronald took off his baseball cap and scratched his head. It looks like Billy Crystal is still doubting whether his last one was that good.
"There is still room for improvement..."
"Huh?" Billy Crystal looked like he was all ears.
"Wait a minute when we get to the stand on your side of the big monster and take an over-the-shoulder shot of the other side. When you spit out grape skin seeds, remember to move forward a little so you don't spit on me..."
"Pfft...hahahaha..."
Both Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan were made to laugh by Ronald. The filming scenes were all close-ups, and the tension between the two was relieved a lot.
"You know what? I like you, Ronald." Billy Crystal smiled and high-fived Ronald.
…
"Ronald..." At night, little George and his wife Laura came from Highland Park, a high-end residential area in the north, to ask Ronald in person. It is adjacent to Lake Michigan. It is a very wealthy satellite city and is also the territory of Elephant Party supporters.
"George, Laura..." Ronald welcomed them in, "I was busy filming and didn't pick you up."
"Don't mention that, we are buddies." Little George waved his hand to indicate that the two of them should not use these red tapes. "I just want to ask you, how do you communicate with voters to get good results?"
"I don't know..." Ronald shook his head. He didn't want to get too involved in the election.
"I just feel that the current commander-in-chief always makes us happy to listen to him. It seems that he is a wise elder of ours. With him here, we don't have to worry about anything."
"What do you mean?" Little George heard some subtext.
"It's good that you are like this. I think when you run for public office, we trust you very much. Being with you feels like a good friend each of us has, or a relative at home, with whom we can drink beer and barbecue. , I feel that you are trustworthy when I am with you.”
The deputy commander, Old George, lacks personal charm and likes to use rhetorical techniques like a literary figure. What a Thousand Dots of Light, the only people who are really likely to vote for him are small-town white people who don’t understand this at all.
In those big cities, the rich, soldiers, and other interest groups who may vote for him will not vote for him because of his literary talent.
To be honest, it's not as refreshing as his saying "Look at my mouth and don't raise taxes." In the final analysis, Ronald voted for him because of these words.
"I like you, Ronald." Little George smiled happily and took Laura's hand. "Ronald is like that. He can always explain very complicated things to me in very simple words. No matter it is Roger Ailes or Lee Ewart, I always didn’t understand what they were saying, but when Ronald said it, I knew what he meant.”
"Look at what you're talking about, George. Ronald is a great director. His talent is to make people understand his expressions in movies. I enjoy watching his movies and I don't think about what the director wants to express. We all love 'Dirty Dancing'," Laura said, somewhat blaming her husband for speaking like this.
"It doesn't matter, we are good buddies..." Little George said and laughed to himself. Laura was right. Ronald didn't answer him directly, but he explained it clearly with an example. He already got the answer he wanted.
(End of chapter)
