Exploiting Hollywood 1980

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

"Asshole!", the "Rocky Horror Show" club members in the audience shouted in unison.

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

"Where is your neck?" the members in the audience shouted.

"Cheers!" Ronald picked up another sign.

Members started cheering.

Ronald held the sign high.

The cheers from the members grew louder.

Ronald lowered the sign,

Members fell into murmurs.

"Very good, we'll keep it this way when we start filming later," Alan Parker shouted, expressing satisfaction.

Ronald contacted the president of the "Rocky Horror Picture Show" fan club for the director, and they were happy to be in another movie with their favorite movie. Agreeing to participate in the show without taking any money.

The members dressed up and put on their best spy costumes. Even the water guns that imitated rain were found to be the two thickest ones.

After the extras have finished rehearsing, the director of photography begins to direct the lighting team to set up the lighting.

To capture a dark environment in a movie theater with only the face illuminated by the screen is a great test of the lighting supervisor's ability.

Taking advantage of the light time, Ronald chatted a few more words with acquaintances at the club. Although the midnight show has already featured many new films, they still have their own base. There are two theaters still showing “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”

Today's midnight screenings are no longer a monopoly market for movies. In addition to "Rock and Roll High School" in which Ronald participated, there were also several horror films, which together divided up the market. Although "Rock High School" has a good reputation, it only accounts for about a quarter of the theater schedule.

“It doesn’t have the momentum that The Rocky Horror Show did when it dominated the midnight show.” The president of the fan club concluded.

After setting up the lighting, the director first takes a shot of the audience's reaction. Ronald stood on stage again, holding a sign indicating the appropriate response from the audience.

He was behind the camera, so the scene of holding the sign would not be captured in the camera. What the audience would see in the future would just be the cheers of the club members.

There is no need to worry that "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" is not playing on the stage. Through post-editing and mixing, the clips shown on the screen will be added to the film, making the audience feel like these people are watching another movie in the movie.

The director of photography finished shooting the reaction shots, moved the camera off the stage, and began to arrange the spy singing and dancing sequences on the stage.

The so-called scheduling is to arrange the position and movement of the camera so that the actors are always within the scope of the camera's lens. The actions of the lighting team must meet the requirements of scheduling.

A dozen men who were spying as maids were lined up on the stage, preparing to rehearse the scene of dancing and singing in front of the screen. Ronald explained to them the direction and scene of the camera, and told them not to look at the camera.

These spy enthusiasts perform this part every time they participate in an event. They are already familiar with it and do not need more rehearsals.

Alan Parker looks content behind the camera. "Does Ronnie always hang out with these alternative people? I think he has a great rapport with them."

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

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

Ronald didn't know that the director was asking him about gossip, so he explained to the spies and silently retreated to a safe position where the camera lens could not capture him. Giving center stage to them and the director.

The crew is also a hierarchical place. Ronald is very aware of his status. Every time he finishes his work, he gives up the giving position to the director. He does not want to make the same mistake as Barry Miller and compete with the director. Position on the ladder of power.

The spies danced, and Maureen Tiffey, who played Doris, her eyes filled with longing, took off her coat and rushed onto the stage to dance with them.

Ralph, played by Barry Miller, sat in his seat and made a very surprised expression. Doris was able to break through her shyness and launch a career as an actress.

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

Ronald felt that the director looked at him a bit too much today, and it was not that he was looking for trouble, but that he seemed to be eyeing him. So I decided to keep a low profile and quietly exited the shooting scene.

In addition to the producer's instructions to keep an eye on Barry Miller, Ronald did not actually need to appear in the theater today. Maybe the director was a little strange about him appearing in an occasion where he shouldn't have appeared.

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

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

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

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

Choreographer Louis Falco made a lot of preparations for this biggest dance scene in the film.

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

The choreographer took advantage of the director's break in filming the scenes involving acting students and has been guiding the dancers to rehearse on site for three days.

The actors were divided into two groups, ballet and jazz, dancing to the music of Donna Summer's "Hot Stuff." Ronald couldn't understand it, he just thought it was well arranged.

The soundtrack for this scene was the theme song "Fa", which the composer Michael Gore had not yet completed, so during rehearsals, the disco "Hot Stuff" with a similar tempo was played.

Ronald's ears were itching to hear this old disco tune, and he quickly nodded to Antonia and Jean in the crowd and fled the rehearsal site.

When I arrived at Harlan High School, I saw producer David DaSilva chatting with a woman wearing a suit and skirt from a distance.

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

"David, we are old friends. When I contacted you, I wanted to do another business like Travolta's white suit. But it is undeniable that Travolta is the only leading actor in Saturday Night Fever, and Your movie has eight protagonists, and we at J.C. Penney (JY) will not gamble on this opportunity.”

"Well, I thought we could do a win-win business." Da Silva shook hands with the manager-looking man and said goodbye.

It sounds like the producer wants to do a deal with J.C. Penney to develop peripheral business for the movie, and sell the clothes of the male and female protagonists in the department store.

If that's the case, is there any chance of inventing your own leg warmers?

Ronald stopped Ms. Nancy at the exit:

"Hello, Ms. Nancy, I am Ronald Lee, the screenwriter of the crew. I invented a dance wear accessory for the crew, which is very popular with dancers. I wonder if I can ask you to take a look. Is it commercial? Potential to work with J.C. Penney?”

Ronald boldly spoke of his ambitions.

"Ronald? Are you really a screenwriter? I think you are more like an actor on the crew." Nancy is not disgusted by people recommending products to themselves. She has met many inventors in business development, but like the one in front of her She has never met such a young liar who claims to be a movie screenwriter.

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

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

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

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

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

Ronald led Nancy to the rehearsal room. Jean and Antonia were all wearing leg warmers and really dancing to the music, practicing the moves the choreographer had arranged for them.

"This is my invention, leg warmers. The short version covers the ankles, and the long version can cover the knees. I have asked the lawyer to submit a design patent application."

Ronald began to introduce to Nancy the effect of leg warmers on the upper body.

"Removing the bottom of the socks will have a better visual effect. I have to say that this is a very good design concept."

Nancy complimented the leg warmers greatly.

"Then is there any chance that my invention will be sold in J.C. Penney Department Store?" Ronald was overjoyed.

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

"Department stores are a unique business format. People come to J.C. Penney with a shopping mentality, so we provide products that are purchased frequently and are in line with fashion trends."

"There's very good design thinking in your invention, but it's for a very narrow market - dancers. J.C. Penney wouldn't put it in a counter."

Ah, so that’s it. Ronald suddenly realized. Although leg warmers are very popular among dancers, people who don’t dance have no need to wear them. Therefore, it can only be sold to dancers.

The market is too small and there is no possibility of entering department stores.

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

"It doesn't matter. I rarely see artistic talents like you who understand business thinking. You might as well come to me when you have new movies or new inventions in the future."

Nancy gave Ronald a business card.

"Also, if I were you, I would consider opening a shop selling these leg warmers in front of the dance school. Seize this opportunity to make some quick money."

"This thing has no technical content. Every mother can modify it for her daughter when she sees it. Thousands of ballet mothers pirate your design. Can you sue them one by one?"

"So it's better to take advantage of the craze that may arise among dance students after the movie is released, and make a fortune before pirated copies come out."