"Action!"
"What is this person doing here?"
"Come and see our factory."
…
When they arrived in the town of Seymour, Connecticut, Rachel Talalay, who had come to do the preparations in advance, had already done all the trivial things.
Let the second crew film the exterior of a factory with a history of more than 100 years, and set up the factory owner Jorgensen's office in the attic inside. Then there was some on-site tidying up to prevent those iron bars and cables all over the floor from becoming a stumbling block for the photographers.
By the afternoon, Gregory Peck had rested, and everything was ready for actual shooting.
This section is the scene from the first act to the second act of the movie. Garfield found this company that was underestimated by Wall Street from the computer stock selection program, and then he bought more than 5% of the stock and formally proposed the acquisition. To make an offer, have a formal chat with Jorgensen.
The second unit had previously filmed footage of Garfield's Cadillac speeding down highways in New York and Rhode Island. Including the scene where the luxury car drove into a tunnel with a sign reading "Welcome to Rhode Island" and crossed the state line.
The shots in New York are all dirty, modern, and hurried, while the shots in Rhode Island are quiet, ancient, and slow with fallen leaves. When the editing is done together, the audience can feel that the bustling Wall Street and this cable factory with a history of more than 80 years belong to two different worlds. No wonder there will be conflicts.
Workers at the cable factory in the town of Seymour also began taking vacation for filming, and the furnaces they used for production also happened to be shut down for maintenance. For this reason, Ronald's crew also paid a high fee to cover the wages of these workers, allowing them to act as extras during the shutdown. They can also come for lunch when they have nothing to do, and those with families will also give it to their wives and children. Free lunch provided.
This favor made these workers very grateful to Ronald. The unionists who originally wanted to cause trouble, no matter how much they incited them, no one paid attention to them. Because business is not good, these workers' wages are barely enough, and there are no good movie theaters in the town. Therefore, the actor most familiar to these workers is Oscar winner Gregory Peck.
This also made them respect the crew very much. As long as there was a scene where Parker appeared, they would watch quietly and not cause trouble.
"What's the problem? He's a shareholder..." Gregory Pike wore a light-colored windbreaker, yellow sweater, light gray trousers, brown leather shoes, gray hair, and a carved mouth. The pipe made of ex-briar roots is like an antique stuck in decades ago, but at the same time it is elegant and makes people feel familiar.
"It's not that simple, Jorgen. This man is well known on Wall Street. He is engaged in mergers and acquisitions." The person who answered Jorgensen was Bill, the deputy manager of the factory. This man was truly responsible for keeping the factory running smoothly. Jorgensen also agreed to hand over the management of the factory to him after his retirement and gave some shares to the management headed by him.
The two of them meandered along, avoiding the cables stacked on pillars in the factory, the forklifts transporting materials and finished products, and the pillars erected in the middle of the factory that were unique to ancient factories.
"Haha, my father founded this factory eighty-one years ago, and I took it over twenty-eight years ago. I control this factory, and no one can acquire ours." Gregory Pike also patted Dean Jones, the actor who plays Carl.
This is also a typical old-school actor. He was born on Broadway. He can dance, sing, and act in TV series and movies. His most famous appearance is in the Disney film series "Butterbuggy."
"Cut!"
It's a long shot, and Ronald stays behind the camera track, retreating with the camera that keeps retreating. It stopped when Gregory Peck slapped Dean Jones on the shoulder.
Dean Jones' clothing and appearance are similar to Jorgensen's. He is an old employee of the factory, so he has to dress up to suit the chairman's aesthetics.
The staff came up to move chairs for the two actors, especially Pike, who needed to rest at any time.
"Hmm..." Ronald touched his chin. This scene was good, but it seemed to be missing some information. Carl is a capable person with no direction. There are no other companies in Rhode Island that he can choose to work for. But Jorgensen didn't quite agree with what he promised.
This is not to say that he does not trust Jorgensen's promise, but that the company's main business, the cable factory, is experiencing operating difficulties. If we continue to follow Jorgensen’s philosophy of sustainable management and inclusive communities, the factory will probably be insolvent and bankrupt in two years.
And when that time comes, how much the stocks in his hands will still be worth is a question worth thinking about. Garfield comes with bad intentions, but one thing is for sure, he has to bid!
The momentum and status between the two people was not fully expressed in this scene. Jorgensen felt that he still had something to give Carl, and that was a conscience for running the business. Karl felt that Jorgensen was an old man who was stuck in the past, but their long-term positions prevented him from arguing too much with his boss.
"What do you think?" Ronald looked at Ang Lee aside, "The time window left for me to explain the relationship between the two is very small. Is there a way to show it in this footage?"
This is not an issue that ordinary directors consider, but a high-level expression that can only be considered when they have a high level of control over the crew. Ang Lee admires this very much. If he were to direct, each of these people must have their own ideas. It is impossible to suppress everyone's little thoughts like Ronald.
However, Ang Lee can still make suggestions. In the culture he comes from, drama attaches great importance to this method of using spatial position to express the emotions of characters.
"You can ask Gregory Pike not to change his route when passing that pillar, so that Jones' route will be squeezed. He must make adjustments on his own while maintaining the boss's walking route, and he will be disturbed by the pillar. Embarrassing.”
"What a good idea..." Ronald's eyes lit up. This is where movies are more powerful than dramas. People are very sensitive to other people's expressions and actions. This directly gives an image of a middle-aged man being squeezed by his boss and almost hitting a pillar, which is much more efficient than any voiceover or performance.
"Director, can this be used?" Pike sat on a chair, drinking coffee, looking relaxed. He received physical therapy from a masseur before starting work and is now in good condition. But age is not forgiving after all.
"We need one more thing," Ronald explained Ang Lee's opinion to him.
"Okay, let's finish it..." Gregory Pike stood up and hammered his waist, "I'm old..."
"Aha, you are still very young and handsome." Ronald's crew assistant, Sandra Bullock, did a lot of odd jobs on the crew. There were live performances by veteran actors and famous directors, and she gradually felt that she It's a bit enlightening.
"Now... no, Jimmy Stelter told me that once a person passes away, he needs to be patched all over his body..."
Actors trained in old Hollywood and Broadway are very professional. Professionalism means that any requirement can be expressed quickly and perfectly.
The two of them cooperated tacitly, and there was no hint of acting in this reshoot. Jones, in particular, played the image of a manager who carefully communicates with his boss very naturally.
The next day, when the main creators watched the samples, even Gregory Peck was shocked. He didn't expect that the picture Ronald created actually had some traces of the Golden Age of Hollywood.
This kind of precise expression of the intention of the script requires long-term drama training and continuous practice on the shooting scene, as well as the subtle coordination of temperament between the character and the actor.
This was very common in the era of big studios, where actors belonged to studios and many movies were shot every year, and the image of the star's role was relatively fixed. For example, Ingrid Bergman once joked that her co-star Humphrey Bogart in The Spies of North Africa wore the same trench coat no matter which movie he was in.
In this era where stars have become the most important element in film production, it is not easy to recreate this scene. Stars only film one or two movies a year, and their ability to grasp different roles is not as good as previous stars.
Many times, stars make a good film, and then the rapidly rising salary makes it difficult for them to recruit the most suitable actors to film the next film. It is very common now that one film is good and the other is bad.
Although box office figures rebounded throughout the 1980s, the number of moviegoers remained at a relatively stable level. The movie-watching crowd is also concentrated on young people in love. In addition, the system has resulted in abnormally high salaries for stars (for example, Ronald felt that Stallone’s acting skills were worth about five million, and fifteen million was really too much), and the types of movies were also shrinking.
It used to be that low-budget movies with hundreds of flowers blooming, and mid-budget movies that were made by various capable artists, are now less profitable than spending 20 million and then getting two stars.
"Congratulations, Ronald. You have successfully brought back my memories of making movies. This is how I remember making movies..."
Ronald was not very happy. Judging from the quality of the practitioners, it was actually not as good as the older generation of actors. There are mainly two types of movies that are currently selling well at the box office. One is a movie with special effects and scenes that the audience has never seen before, and the other is a movie that can use social issues and word-of-mouth to attract adults who don't usually watch movies into the theater.
"What's wrong, we should be happy. When I work with Elia Kazan or William Wyler, and we take a shot like this, we also have to open champagne to celebrate."
"Hahaha..." Ronald also felt that he could not spoil the fun. He waved his hand and asked his assistant Sandra to get a bottle of champagne, and everyone toasted to celebrate.
…
"This is James Shamus, this is..."
At the end of the night, Ang Lee finally waited for the young man who wanted to help him as a producer, James Shamus. He is the founder of Good Machine Production Company, but he has no money at all, so he only wants to make money with nothing.
"Director Ronald Lee needs no introduction. Although my company is not in Hollywood, if you don't even know me, you are not qualified to be in the film industry."
Shams went around the corner to flatter Ronald. Ronald looked at his nose and knew that he was a Jew with such an acting style.
"Can I ask, why did you agree to me this time Ang Lee? When the Information Bureau selected the winning script, I called you and you refused." Shamus also said something to Ang Lee. , he wanted to show his vision in front of Ronald. I liked this script earlier than you did.
"Really?" Ang Lee thought for a while, maybe he was too happy about the results at that time and didn't remember it. He replied, "Now that Ronald has agreed to provide an additional $800,000 in investment, I think we will have enough money to make a proper movie."
"That's great. I was very optimistic about you. With your talent, you can actually shoot for 400,000 yuan. Now it's even better." Shamus spoke very pleasantly.
"Let me ask, how did you make this movie with 400,000 yuan?" Ronald was also a little curious. 400,000 yuan was really too little.
"Although Lee is very talented, I think he lacks experience. My idea is that when shooting such a low-cost movie, we have no room for mistakes, so preparation is the most important. What I originally thought was to use more free actors, and The venue. Then the night before, you must plan out the shots for the next day and leave them to us. We will go to survey the venue overnight. If there are any inappropriate places, we will make temporary changes in the morning."
"Do you know Roger Coleman?" Ronald felt that this technique was too familiar.
"Hahaha, I know what you are going to say. In fact, in New York, our low-cost shooting is no worse than his, or even better." Of course, Shams has heard of the name of the King of B-movies, but New York filmmakers It may be a little more difficult than Corman. If Roger Corman made a low-budget movie, they might have to call it a no-budget movie.
Otherwise, they would not even send a film to be made by a director with a budget of 400,000 US dollars and who has never made a feature film.
"However, with your capital injection, we can do better in the details, and even our marketing plan to hit the three major European film festivals has more guarantees. I like this script very much, and I trust Ang Lee very much. Ability."
After Shams said this, Ronald also felt that talents were rare and passed the test of Machine Production Company's marketing plan.
James Shams has no money, but his experience and knowledge of European film festivals are far superior to those in Hollywood. The New York film circle is actually also accepting funding and actors from European films.
Ronald appreciated Shams' shrewdness. He set the personnel framework and hired the Jew as a producer and responsible for marketing, competition, and distribution.
"How much is your company worth? I want to invest in you..."
Shamus was still happy that he had received additional funds for the project's filming, but was suddenly shocked by Ronald's request.
"Talents are rare. I'm investing in you and Lee. Why, don't you accept the investment?"
"Of course, I mean of course I accept it." Shams himself was still sharing an office with others and only rented two desks in total. He was very happy to hear that an industry boss like Ronald took a fancy to him. "
On the spot, he signed the memorandum drawn up by Ronald's personal lawyer, indicating that further negotiations would follow.
"Hehehe..." Ronald smiled and asked Lindsay Dole to work harder and come to Connecticut to complete the signing. Such people are rare. Investing hundreds of thousands of dollars in exchange for a few shares is considered a good relationship. Even if the movie loses everything, it is still a good deal to bring this person into his production system.
"Hehehe...uh..." Shamus, who was still snickering after leaving the door, suddenly realized, how could I be deceived into accepting his capital injection?
"Hey, it turns out that Ronald's business ability is not inferior to his director ability."
The filming went smoothly from then on, and soon after a week passed, Ronald had finished shooting half of the scenes in the cable factory.
The employees at the cable factory in Seymour were very cooperative, and a few lucky kids got autographs from the stars. It was the weekend again, and Ronald had planned to rest with Diane in Connecticut, but who knew Richard called him again.
"Ronald, someone stole the promotion of Dances with Wolves and took advantage of us."
"Huh? It doesn't matter much..." Ronald knew that in fact, for movies that are popular and arouse heated discussions in society, there will always be people who want to take advantage of the popularity.
In the past, many karate clubs made a fortune due to the hit of my own Dragon King. After filming Dirty Dancing, a Latin dance center also made a fortune. As a director, it is impossible to pursue everything. This is not a Disney cartoon image, and you may not win a lawsuit.
"It seems a bit bad, they allegedly insulted the Indians in the movie..."
