Exploiting Hollywood 1980

   Chapter 433 Singer's Pose

   Hearing Clint Eastwood's words, Ronald had an inexplicable feeling of "really amazing". A big star can threaten the producer face-to-face in this way, gain a certain status in Hollywood, and become a box office guarantee for a certain type of film, so they can act according to their own wishes.

   "Hum..." Weintraub, as a concert producer who has managed Elvis and Frank Sinatra, doesn't care about this level of threat at all.

"I think this Danny should still be played by a professional actor. Susan, you go to draft a list of young actors who have become famous in recent years. We will come one by one. John, you can choose slowly now, all the Everyone is up to you."

   "Susan, call Steve McQueen's widow and ask his son to audition for the villains in Cobra Dojo."

   Weintraub arranged the next audition in a few seconds. He has completely turned the corner. The second generation of these stars can only play some supporting roles, and the main roles must be professionally selected according to the situation of the roles.

   This can not only borrow the fame of the stars and attract the media to interview, but will not destroy the development of the whole story.

   Ronald came home and took a hot shower. All aspects of this film are on track, and I can start thinking about my next directing project.

   Ronald, who was wiping his hair, wanted to call Nisita to make an appointment to talk about the new movie. He helped select several teen films from various companies, many of which were mid-range productions from major studios.

   The message red light on the telephone turned on again, indicating that someone left a message, and Ronald pressed the play button.

   "Drip...

   Ronald, I am Marlene, Marlene Jahan. do you remember me? The material you wrote for me to prove that I was acting as a stand-in in 'Blitz Dance' got me a formal actor contract, and I played a supporting role in 'Rage Street', I wanted to call to thank you.

   Well, then, your friend Diane Lane is here too. The filming here is slow and everyone is a little bored. If you have time, you may wish to visit the class. Yes, it is like that. "

  Ronald scratched his head, "Rage Street" has already started filming, it doesn't sound like the filming was going well. Diane also worked hard, so she went to visit the class to see how her new film performed.

  …

   "Did you forget to say yesterday, let Ronald call to confirm the visit time?" Diane Lane, wearing a T-shirt and jeans, was sitting and letting the hair stylist do her hair. Next to her is Marlene Jahan, who plays a supporting role as a bar dancer in the film.

   "You care about him so much, why don't you just call him directly?" Ma Lin, as a Chinese, doesn't understand Diane's mentality, "Is it the custom of your American girls not to call boys?"

  Dian waved his hand, and the stylist left knowingly.

   "No, you don't understand, Ronald is a very special person. Not like everyone else."

   "Others? Like Michael Parr?" Marlene laughed. Pal, the actor who plays the leading role in the cast, recently fell in love with Diane and sent him flowers every day. Pal is also of Chinese nationality, but Ma Lin thinks he is handsome.

   "Uh... ugh..." Diane made a vomit gesture, "This guy is very annoying, he makes a squeaking noise with his folding knife every day."

   "Hahaha", Ma Lin laughed with her. This former chef, relying on a woman, is actually a very shallow person.

   Hair, makeup, focus, and then a long wait for the lighting to finish.

  Diane sat in the lounge and listened to music, using the same Sony Walkman Ronald gave him.

  Today is the first day of filming the concert scene. Director Walter Hill hopes that several leading actors can concentrate on rehearsing and lip-syncing. He decided to use a special lighting method to shoot this concert scene with an unparalleled sense of explosion.

   In addition to the special arrangement of lighting, he also hired a fashion designer to design a **** rock singer costume for Diane's heroine Alan Ann.

Of course, neither of those are in place today, mainly to get Diane, lead actor Michael Parr, and villain Willem Dafoe to do a little rehearsal, this kind of live song and dance performance on stage, since the golden age of musical films passed. After that, no one took pictures for many years.

   He would rather spend a little more time familiarizing the actors with the movement of the stage, rather than adjusting while filming. Most of the technicians who can make musicals are retired and old, and the new team also needs rehearsal to break in.

   "Diane, please come here, we can start rehearsal." Director Walter Hill took out the microphone and asked Diane to come to the stage in front of the studio to start the rehearsal.

   Sitting in a corner of the stage is the film's music director, Jim Steinman. He took his band's pre-recorded single and put the tape into the recorder.

   A blast of drums followed, followed by keyboard sounds, and finally an electric guitar solo.

   "Ahhhh..." The harmony singer's voice recalled.

   "Now!" Director Walter Hill made a gesture, and Diane came up from the edge of the stage.

   "Lying in your bed on a Saturday night

   You are sweaty and not even hot.

   But your brain has got the message

   it's sending it out

   to every nerve and every muscle of yours”

   A deep and passionate female voice began to sing the opening episode of the movie.

  Diane was holding an old-fashioned stage microphone, frowning, and lip-synching.

   "Very good, it seems that you have memorized the lyrics." The director said with satisfaction, motioning Jim Steinman to turn off the recording.

Walter Hill was about to continue instructing Diane when the actor Michael Parr, playing with his butterfly knife in one hand and holding a large bouquet of flowers in the other, ran up from the other side of the stage, "Diane, you sing today very good."

   Diane gave him a roll of eyes, then took the bouquet and threw it into the trash can next to it.

  "Puchi" Marlene Jahan couldn't help laughing, "Hey, brother, don't waste this bunch of flowers."

   "Move your **** to the auditorium for me." Director Walter Hill scolded Parr angrily and helplessly.

   "Okay", Michael Parr has a decadent look on his face. He is not afraid of the director. His lover is the executive producer of the film. As long as he doesn't make too much trouble, the director can't do anything to him.

"Oh, here we go again." Willem Dafoe, who played the villain and supporting role, covered his face. He also had a scene here. After the song was finished, he rushed up from the stage and kidnapped Alan Ann, played by Diane. Snatch it on the shoulder.

   And this Parr, who played the hero Cody, had no role today. But he is like a bull in rut in the crew, and he has already soaked up several actresses in the crew. Only the heroine Diane was honest with him, but this aroused his interest again, and he came to attack him every day.

   This kind of behavior even led to the few actresses he soaked in, eating Diane's dry vinegar, and then other admirers of these actresses were also very dissatisfied. The whole crew was a little smoky, and everyone was fighting.

   "Hey, Walter, didn't bother you?" Ronald and his agent Richard, seeing that the rehearsal had ended, walked in from outside, holding a bouquet of flowers and handing them to Diane.

  "I wish you good shooting", Ronald hugged Diane, who is still wearing a T-shirt and jeans today, without the appearance of a rock actress.

   "Why, haven't your costumes arrived yet? When will you be able to dress like a rocker?" Ronald and Diane quipped.

   "The designer has let me try it on. He said that the dress needs some adjustments. I wear it very well." Diane quietly pulled Ronald's arm and said with a smile.

   "Oh, there's already a bunch of flowers here?" Ronald found the big flower in the trash can, much bigger than what he sent.

   "I just like what you sent." Di Anle turned around to take the flowers from Ronald into the lounge.

   "Do you want me to order another one for you? Like the one you gave to Helen?" the agent Richard reminded beside him.

   "Humph!" Diane put away the bouquet, and when she heard that Ronald sent flowers to Helen, a feeling of irritability rose in her heart.

  Diane hid in the lounge, closed the door, threw the bouquet on the table, and started packing her cosmetic bag. Lipstick, powder, mirror, Walkman... Throw them into the bag one by one.

   Seeing the Walkman, Diane poked the bag on the table again, and thumped the table twice with a vengeance.

   A sense of grievance came to his heart, Diane buried his head deeply in his arms and lay down on the table for a while.

   Then she stood up, and her hair was tidied up again, and the stubbornness of a New York taxi driver's daughter took over Diane's chest again.

  Diane in the "Outdoor Urchin" crew, the "Betta Fish" crew, and even the current "Angry Street" crew, are surrounded by a group of outstanding actors, the queen that everyone wants to pursue but can't.

   "It's time to wake up." Diane looked at her youthful face in the mirror, then ran to the stage and said to director Walter Hill, "You can start doing it all over again."

  Walter Hill, is exchanging some shooting techniques for musicals with Ronald. He knew that there were similar musical scenes in Ronald's films, and that Ronald had written the script for musicals like "Grease 2". The two chatted about how to run the camera.

   Hearing Diane's "order", director Hill made a slight difference, then snapped his fingers at music director Jim Steinman.

   "You have so many dreams

   You don't know where to put them

   so you better get some of them out

   Your body has a feeling that it starts to rust

  You better make it work, use it"

  Diane sang into the microphone, and a slightly hoarse female voice popped out of the speaker very powerfully.

   Ronald was very surprised by this song, as if someone sang it at the scene. The singing has a sense of three-dimensionality and penetration, which makes him feel that the sound is immersive. He couldn't help but look at Diane, trying to see if Diane was singing live.

   When she filmed "The Magic Stain Band" before, it seemed like she didn't know how to sing?

  Ronald took a closer look again and was sure it wasn't Diane singing live. Although her brows were clenched, and her hands firmly grasped the old-fashioned floor-standing microphone, her core and abdomen were slack, and she did not use the strength of her dantian to sing, so she would definitely not be able to sing such a powerful song.

   "What do you think?" Walter Hill asked Ronald next to him after waiting for Diane to lip-synch.

   "What a good song." Ronald looked at Jim Steinman, the music director next to him, who responded with a smile.

   "I'm asking about Diane's performance," said director Hill.

   "Uh", Ronald thought for a while, but still told him bluntly that he also hoped that Diane could improve in his acting skills, and act like what kind of person.

   "I think it's very good, but there is still some room for improvement, her singing posture, and Sissy Spacek, who won the Oscar two years ago, are still a little lacking.

   "How much do you know about singers?" Diane choked Ronald when he heard what he said.

   Then Diane walked quickly to the music director, took a guitar from behind him and handed it to Ronald, "Don't you know how a singer should act? Come on, show me a demonstration!"

   Ronald looked at the angry Diane, and felt a little regretful in his heart. After all, she was a girl who just turned eighteen years old. The tone of his words may not be very good, which stabbed Diane's self-esteem.

  "I don't know either..."

   "I think you understand it quite well. If there is anything wrong, just say it."

  Ronald's heart skipped a beat, knowing that Diane had an opinion on him. He had to take the guitar and put the belt over his shoulder.

   Randomly swept the strings and everything was in good tune.

Then Ronald covered the strings to stop the sound, and then he strummed and began to sing the song, on the guitar taught by John Fogarty himself, "Who'll Stop The Rain (Who'll Stop The Rain )”

   "It's been raining for as long as I can remember.

   Mysterious clouds are pouring down on the ground, confusing.

  Good people through the ages are trying to find the sun

   I wonder, I still wonder, who can stop this rain? "

  "Bravo!" Music director Jim Steinman was the first to applaud, and this song really has a seven or eight score of the original singer Fogarty.

   "Bravo!" Director Hill, Willem Dafoe, who played the villain, and Marlene Jahan, all applauded.

   Diane looked at Ronald's eyes angrily, and slowly began to soften, with a slight smile on the corner of his mouth.

   "Actually, your performance is already very good. I'm just talking about a small detail from the singer's point of view." Ronald saw that Diane had returned to normal, and then said,

"Have you seen Sissy Spacek's 'The Coal Miner's Daughter'? She actually sings in the movies, you can find it, when she sings, her voice is loose, but the position of the lower abdomen They are all very tight, which is a common feature of professional singers, abdominal breathing, and Dantian exerting force."

   "Is that so?" Diane began to ponder and learn.

   "Yes, a little further down." Ronald looked at Diane's posture and said a few words.

   "Anything else? Any other suggestions?" Diane looked up at Ronald with sparkling eyes.

   "Also? I think about it, Sissy is playing a country singer, and you are playing a female rock singer. The style of rock and roll should have a bit of anger, and you can't be as relaxed as the country."

  Ronald scoured his brain and thought about a little suggestion. Seeing that Diane was still rubbing his abdomen, he seemed to be unable to find the position. Diane raised his head and looked at Ronald, as if asking for help.

   "That's it." Ronald took Diane's hand and placed it lightly on his lower abdomen.

   "Crack!" Diane slapped Ronald's arm hard.

   "Ow," Ronald exclaimed, touched his arm with his hand, and asked, "What's the matter? Am I wrong?"

   "Didn't you say to be angry?" Diane slapped Ronald again in the arm.

   "Uh..., that's right, that's it." Ronald felt that Diane had found the feeling, and hurriedly avoided. Her father, Bert, didn't know what genre of acting it was, so hitting people so hard did find a sense of anger very effective.

   "Huh", Diane walked to the center of the stage again, motioning Jim Steinman to play the recording again.

   At the moment when the prelude sounded, Diane looked back at Ronald, "Will you come to see me tomorrow? Tomorrow I will put on the costume and officially shoot the scene."

   "Uh... ok, I'll come." Ronald touched his arm, it seemed that this was Diane's major scene, she was still a little unconfident, she should come to cheer.

   (end of this chapter)