Exploiting Hollywood 1980.

Chapter 350 Chapter 3 What a Wonderful Feeling

The next filming started smoothly. Jennifer Beers was a top student who was admitted to Yale University by herself, and she has outstanding comprehension.Adrian Lane explained the background, character, and behavior of her characters, and she performed them well.

For example, in the shot of Alex working as a welding girl in a steel factory, Jennifer Beers puts on overalls, a helmet, and protective glasses, and welds the workpiece with a welding torch.

Westinghouse had just dismantled their turbine plant in Pittsburgh, which the crew happened to be renting for the interior of the steel mill.

Biers picked up the welding torch and pointed the camera at her helmet, which had Alex written on it, as steam and loud noises began to fill the scene.

"Action!"

Biers tapped the welding torch on the workpiece, and a burst of sparks came out. She didn't know how to keep the welding torch and the workpiece at an appropriate distance, so that the welding rod could melt evenly and stably.The magnetism kept pushing her welding rod to the side, and it would go out every now and then.

Bills was very smart. She continued to poke the workpiece with the welding rod one after another, so that the current could pass through continuously, and many sparks popped out from the welding rod one after another.

"Cut!"

Lane made a nice gesture.Anyway, the audience can't see the difference, and the point of the film is not to depict the work of welding girls.

Ronald and the staff applauded to congratulate the successful shooting of the camera.In addition to the shots of forklifts, dump buckets, and employees beating pipes with unknown meanings, the editing is a scene of heavy metal in a steel factory.

"Why should such an advanced factory be dismantled?" Ronald chatted with Westinghouse staff after the filming was completed.

"Now the local labor union is too strong, and the higher-ups plan not to continue to produce turbines in the country, and instead purchase OEM products from Dongying Mitsubishi Heavy Industries."

……

"Woo..." The hydraulic device of the dump truck exerted a huge force, pushed the dump bucket to the head and turned over.The close-up shot of the dump truck is very majestic. Jennifer Beers took off her welding mask, shook her hair left and right, and let out a sigh of relief.

The next day, Ronald sat down with director Adrian Lane and producer Don Simpson to watch the dailies again.

In the tape recorder is the theme song produced and recorded by singer Joe Esposito for "Lightning Dance". "What A Feeling"

The melody was very nice, and Ronald had heard it in his dreams, and he began to imagine how to edit the scenes shot by Director Ryan to match the rhythm of the music.

"This scene needs to cover two bars of music, then cut to the scene of the heroine welding, then the scene of knocking on the pipe, and finally cut to the scene of Bills shaking his hair when the melody is accumulating energy..."

"Ronald, Ronald?"

When Ronald came back to himself, Don Simpson was asking him something.

"Ronald, what do you think? There is some mismatch between the theme song and the picture, what do you think?"

Director Adrian Ryan sincerely asked Ronald for his opinion. He now regards Ronald as an artist worthy of rivalry. Sometimes he still wants to ask Ronald if he has ideas Opinion.

"Doesn't it match?" Ronald listened carefully, the lyrics were different from what he dreamed, and the lyrics in the dream explained his journey of pursuing his dream from the perspective of a woman.

"Maybe we should rewrite the lyrics and tell the story from the heroine's point of view..."

"That's right, why don't you do it?" Don Simpson interjected, "Adrian, Ronald was once the lyricist for the Oscar's Best Original Song."

"This..." Ronald didn't want to copy someone else's work this time. "This is a song that is narrated from a female perspective. It may be more appropriate for us to find a woman to write the lyrics. There are some subtle differences in the expression of emotions between men and women."

"That's right, why don't we find a female singer to sing this song again?" Director Ryan took the opportunity to express his thoughts, "What do you think? Ronald, Don?"

"The female singer is a good idea." Of course Ronald nodded in agreement.

"Singer, we might have to find a mezzo-soprano." Don Simpson looked at Ronald, "Do you have any candidates?"

"You should have seen the theme song of 'Famous', right?" Ronald thought of his old friend Irene Cara.

"The song 'Same (Fame)? Hahaha, of course I heard it. That black girl is indeed a good candidate. You can call her and ask her to submit a demo"

……

"Ronald... Long time no see... What, there is a movie theme song... Um, play the melody for me... Refill the lyrics?... Self-narration from a female perspective... I see, I will go to the recording studio right away. "

Erin Cara was very happy to receive Ronald's call.I have sung my song "Fame" for two years, and I desperately need a new song, otherwise the TV station will not let me appear on the show.

She grabbed the notebook in which Ronald had dictated the original lyrics over the phone, rushed out of her New York apartment, hailed a taxi, and headed for the recording studio.In the back seat of the taxi, she took out her notebook and pencil, and began to revise.

"Alone, I've cried

silent tears, filled with pride
in a steel world

uh i hear music
Close my eyes and feel the rhythm
around, hold my heart
what a wonderful feeling

to exist is to believe

I can have it all, now I'm dancing for my life"

Half an hour later, Erin Cara, who arrived at the recording studio, grabbed the phone and dialed Pittsburgh.

"Ronald, I have written new lyrics, listen to it..."

"What do you think?"

Erin Cara changed the lyrics on the road, and then went to the recording studio to sing a demo, and Don Simpson and Adrian Lane heard Erin sing over the phone.

Don Simpson closed his eyes and circled his fingers in the air as if he were leading a band on the theme song "What a Feeling"

After listening to the demo, he opened his eyes, "Very well, I will use your friend's version. I think this song has great potential. When Alex goes to the ballet academy for the exam, how about using this music?"

Don Simpson's last words were addressed to the director.

"It's great. It vividly expresses a girl's inner pursuit of dance art in a steel industrial city. How did you find the lyricist and singer?"

Ronald froze for a moment, he just felt that the voice of the singer in his dream was black, and he happened to know Irene Cara.But he had to make up an excuse to show that he had artistic taste.

"Eileen Cara is a black Latina, and it's a tougher path to walk in this industry. So she feels the same way? She's on the way to the studio, and she's changed those women in less than half an hour. Perspective lyrics."

Both Don Simpson and Adrian Lane who said this nodded their heads.The American music scene has always been that local blacks provide talent, and whites are responsible for commercialization. Irene Cara, who does not rely on both sides, will indeed have a similar state of mind to the protagonist Alex.

Alex, a welder who works in a factory, relies on his wild dance foundation and wants to be admitted to the ballet academy. He also needs to deal with the doubts of others and himself.

Erin Cara's soundtrack demo was produced very quickly, and the crew quickly got the theme song of the theme song "What a Wonderful Feeling".

The crew applied to the Pittsburgh government for a shooting invitation in the morning, preparing to shoot Alex riding a bicycle to work, shuttling through the streets of Pittsburgh and the iconic Three Sisters Bridge.

These are three steel bridges in downtown Pittsburgh, built in the 20s, the era of rapid infrastructure development in America.The Three Sisters Bridge closely connects the city center separated by three rivers, and there are bicycle lanes for people to use.

The Pittsburgh Police Department sent some officers to help coordinate traffic for the crew.

The recording team played the recording of "What a Wonderful Feeling" on the spot, which made the heroine Jennifer Beals more into the state.

"Didi..." A policeman who was sent to direct the traffic also heard the music. He began to imitate various musical instruments and performed many dance moves to direct the traffic.

Ronald looked very interesting, and quickly pulled the shoulder of director Adrian Ryan. "Adrian, look at that man..."

"What is that?" Ryan also found it very interesting.

"A cop who dances to direct traffic, why don't we put him in the movie? I bet this guy is well-known in Pittsburgh," Ronald said.

"Hello, sir, may I bother you?" Ronald went to greet the policeman.

"Hi, I'm Vik Sianka, police number XXXXX"

The traffic dancer saluted Ronald and introduced himself.

"Is this how you usually direct traffic?"

"Yes, the traffic command is very boring, and the drivers in Pittsburgh are not very good-tempered. I will use some dance moves to keep everyone calm and obey the order."

"What do you think about appearing in our movie, playing yourself?"

"Oh, can I? I have to tell my wife the good news. Thank you, sir."

After communicating with officials sent by the Pittsburgh government.The police officer who uses dance moves to direct traffic is also well-known locally. He has directed traffic for more than 20 years and was also featured in the "Pittsburgh Post-Gazette."

Dubbed "Baryshnikov of the Crossroads" by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh natives knew him.

"Very well, such a plot arrangement will increase the recognition of local audiences." Don Simpson also heard the news and agreed to add a scene.

"Do you know? I think Alex should use some movements that are not traditional ballet." Ronald explained his own thoughts and some shots in the dream to Don and Adrian.

"Alex is a welder, and her dance was learned from ballet dancers on TV, so there must be a lot of informality and irregularities. It is almost impossible for such a character to be admitted to the Ballet Academy in Pittsburgh.

We have to make the audience feel that this plot is reasonable, so we must add some street dances to her, such as imitating the policeman's dance steps, so that the judges of the entrance examination also feel very fresh.Her admissions could also be more convincing. "

The more Ronald said, the more he felt that it made sense, "Although Alex's boyfriend Nick, the owner of the steel mill, helped her fight for the admission opportunity of the interview, her admission must not be through the same back door, but should be related to Alex's own struggle. .”

"It makes sense, we can let Bills and this dance policeman learn a few moves, but that's not enough, what dance should we add to her?" Don Simpson felt that this improvised plot was very connected with the original script , So I was going to let the choreographer and director start working overtime.

"What do you think of this kind of dance?" Ronald simply took off his coat, and danced the dance steps of the black break dance he saw in his dream.

"What the hell kind of dance is this?" Don Simpson's eyes popped out.

"This is called a space walk, this is called a moon walk, this is called a noodle dance, and this..." Ronald found the water-polished marble floor under the porch of a nearby building, lay down on the ground, and began to spin.

"It's called a helicopter. I'm not very good at jumping." Ronald stopped his movements and explained to the director and producer.

"It's a popular dance among black people on the east and west coasts. You can go to Los Angeles and ask some real dancers to try it out. There are a lot of Latinos and blacks. There is a show on TV that often plays this dance. It's called... soul train"

　I would like to extend my New Year greetings to all readers, and wish you all the best in the year of the tiger and the success of your wishes.

　
(End of this chapter)