Chapter 293 Have you ever fallen in love with someone?

"You weren't selected. Coppola gave the apprenticeship paid by the Directors Guild to a relative in the upper echelon of Warner Bros. You have to understand him, Ronald. Coppola is in a bad financial situation now. Hope this movie The movie turned around. It is impossible for him to refuse the request of Warner executives."

   Ronald heard the bad news from his agent Nisita the next day, so he had to settle for the next best thing:

"Okay, I understand. Rick, can you please contact Director Coppola for me, I want to consult him in person about the consistency of actors' performances, I only delay him for half an hour. I know you can help him finalize Coppola will agree to a distribution contract for the new film.

  Can you help me? when i owe you once? "

"Hahaha", Nisita's serious face suddenly burst into laughter, "Although the position was not given to you, Coppola wants you to help the crew and be his special assistant. Because of financial constraints, he can only give you The minimum wage will be paid after starting the machine.

  So he asked me to ask you. He knew that you had already directed a feature film, and he was afraid that you would not accept this kind of basic salary position. "

  Ronald was overjoyed, "It's okay, you don't have to give it, and I can post it upside down."

  As long as you can see how the big director handles the consistency of performance at a close distance, you can arrange it in any way. There is no place to spend money to learn this.

   "This is the place of work, the studio of the diorama. Remember to help Tom Cruise and other contracted actors of CAA." Nisita handed over a list.

  The above lists the actors signed by CAA to participate in the audition. There are more than a dozen of them. Nisita and Paula's clients are specially marked with an asterisk.

   Ronald, who happily accepted the job, came to the "Diorama" company's studio in Los Angeles to report the next day.

   "Coppola is very busy today, he asked me to teach you how to use this new toy, and then started filming the audition video."

   The one who spoke was Fred, the casting director who had worked with Coppola for ten years. He was once in charge of casting the godfather.

  Ronald picks up a video camera on the table. It has a black appearance and exquisite metal processing technology. On it is the manufacturer's logo of Dongying "SONY", and below the logo are the words "BetaCam".

   "It's made by the same manufacturer as the Walkman." Ronald thought to himself, picked up the device and carried it on his shoulder.

   "The zoom of the lens is here, and here is the buckle for installing the microphone. After it is installed, it is right next to the lens. The sound reception effect within five meters is very good."

"Here is the video button... Hey, have you used this little toy?" The audition director Fred couldn't help being surprised when he saw that Ronald had found the video and stop buttons, and skillfully put the hood of the viewfinder on his right eye. arrive.

   "No, I'm using it for the first time, but his button design is the same as that of the video recorder, and it is also in a convenient position." Ronald put the Betacam video recorder down from his shoulder.

   "You can connect a tripod below, and you will be in charge of the audition for that position." Fred pointed to a corner of the studio, where there was a small "room" surrounded by wooden boards.

"Here are the video tapes. Each tape can record 30 minutes of picture and sound. When the end is near, there will be a red light warning. You remember to replace it. This is the audition log. You remember to write down the name and other information of each audition actor .

   Then let them report their name, age, height, and which half of their face is more photogenic when they audition. Then you ask them some character-related questions, here is the list of questions. By the way, actresses are not allowed to wear makeup. "

"I see."

  Ronald turned on the Betacam, then sat across from the camera, and began to say, "My name is Ronald Lee, I am twenty-two years old, I am six feet two inches tall, and I don't know which side of my face is more photogenic."

  The audition director Fred pressed the stop button, and then connected the camera to the TV, "My name is Ronald Lee..." Just now Ronald took a picture of himself, and it was shown on the TV.

   "Camcorder?" This Betacam can not only shoot, but also can be connected to a TV to play. It's really a good toy, but it's too big, so it's not suitable for taking it out for play. Although he is much smaller than the current general-purpose camera.

"How much does this thing cost?"

   "It hasn't been officially launched yet. This is a sample given to Coppola by Sony in Japan."

   Ronald set up a tripod and a camera in the temporary audition room surrounded by wooden boards. Then spread out the audition journal on the table with a list of questions and ask Fred, "How many actors are auditioning today?"

   "Actors from all over America under the age of thirty-five are here."

  It seems that Director Coppola still has a great appeal. Although he only has a budget of less than 10 million yuan, the size of the actors who came to audition is about the same as that of Leon's 30 million US dollar giant production.

  Sony’s BetaCam still has a little problem. Its three color channels are not equal, and the shot is slightly green, which is a little different from the color of the real world, with a sci-fi feel.

   "Please tell me your name, age, height." Ronald turned on the video button and asked the first actress to audition to introduce herself.

   "Kate Capshaw (Kate Capshaw), I'm five feet seven inches, and a little bit more." The actress raised her hand in a gesture of "a little bit".

Capshaw has blond curly hair, and she is probably close to thirty years old. She is trying to use playful movements to make herself look younger. Looking at Ronald's smiling face, she knows that her little trick has been seen through, and embarrassingly Laughed.

   "What age range do you think you can play a role?" Ronald knew that she deliberately didn't talk about her age, but he had to ask clearly, so he used a less hurtful method.

   "Ah, that's a very good question." Capshaw lowered his head sadly. He was over twenty-eight years old and hadn't had the chance to make a famous movie yet.

  The heroine of the "Urchin in the World" is only sixteen years old, and the agent urged me to try it again and again, "What if Coppola likes your appearance?" These are the original words of the agent.

She sorted out her emotions, then looked up at Ronald behind the camera and said, "I think twenty..." She looked at Ronald's eyes and adjusted her answer, "Twenty one..., Twenty-one to... thirty? What do you think?"

  Ronald felt that the actress was about to cry, "You answered very well. Director Coppola will notify you when he has seen all the auditions."

"Next person…"

  Actresses filmed audition videos one by one. As the audition director said, actors under the age of thirty-five all came from all over Hollywood and Broadway. Ronald and another audition assistant are in charge of a video recorder that shoots audition tapes of actresses.

   At the other end of the studio, there are two video recorders filming the actor's audition.

   "Hi Ronald! What are you doing here?"

   Ronald raised his head from behind the camera. This is an acquaintance whom he has not seen for a long time, the star of "Rock High School", PJ Souls.

   "Hi, PJ. I'm auditioning for Director Coppola, are you auditioning too?"

  Ronald couldn't help but sigh in his heart the charm of director Coppola. PJ Sauls is already thirty-two years old, and he also came to join in the fun to play a high school student.

   "I'll try it casually. In fact, I'm here with Dennis." Saul's husband, Dennis Quaid, is twenty-eight years old, but he looks young, and the eldest brother who plays the leading role may have a role.

   "Okay, you introduce yourself to the camera." Ronald wrote the name of PJ Souls in the audition log, and let another audition assistant operate the camera.

   "The tape is out." Ronald reminded the audition assistant.

   "How did you change this?"

   Ronald picked up a blank videotape and helped him change it. The two exchanged places again.

"Next person…"

  The one who walked in this time was a beautiful woman, a well-known youth idol in the whole country, and the photography assistant was stunned on the table without saying a word.

   "My name is Brooke Shields, I am sixteen years old, and I am six feet tall."

   "Huh? Brooke, you're here too." Ronald poked his head out from behind the camera.

   "Hey, Ronald. Is that your director? What did my mom say it was Francis Coppola?"

   "I'm just his assistant." Ronald quickly denied, "Let's do it again, you say it to the camera."

   Ronald rewinds ten seconds and starts recording again.

   "My name is Brooke Shields, I am sixteen years old, and I am six feet tall."

   "Have you ever fallen in love with someone?" The audition assistant saw that Brooke Shields was a little excited, and stammered out an audition question.

   "Well, I haven't really fallen in love with anyone, if you mean romantic love. But I love my mother, my classmates, and my fans.

   You know, I did 'Endless Love,' and 'Blue Lagoon,' and I could play a girl in love on screen. "

   "Okay, thank you, Brooke. Director Coppola will watch the audition together, and will notify your mother Terry when the time comes."

  Ronald shook his head secretly. Although he didn't know why Coppola asked this question, the heroine "Cherry" in the novel is a girl in a relationship, and Brooke's audition did not show a state of love.

   Brooke's acting skills are always problematic, although her appearance is very suitable for the role, and the fame also helps the marketing of the film, as long as the hair is dyed reddish blond.

   "You know Brooke Shields? Can you ask me for an autographed photo?" The audition assistant smiled and came up to plead.

   "You can ask her yourself, her mother is also there, and she is willing to ordinary fans."

  The audition assistant ran out.

"Next person…"

   "Please introduce your name, age, and height..." Ronald looked at the screen behind the camera and pointed at the chair, and then semi-automatically said the opening remarks of each audition.

  In the frame of the camera, a figure is squeezed into the frame. He is quite tall, wearing a turtleneck sweater, and his brown hair is a bit golden in the camera. The shawl is loose and a little disheveled.

   "My name is Helen Slater, I am five feet eight inches tall, and I am eighteen years old,"

   Ronald smiled and asked the audition question, "Have you ever fallen in love with anyone?"

   "Yeah, I feel that love is the first feeling, a kind of flame, a kind of lightning..." Helen said to the camera with a pair of big blue eyes.

  Ronald felt that Helen seemed to be talking about love in an orthodox Shakespeare accent. Did she study drama in the performing arts college?

   "Okay, Director Coppola will watch the audition video together, and we will notify your agent when the time comes."

   "Also, Helen, do you have any plans for lunch? Shall we go have a cup of coffee?"

   "Ronald?" Helen covered her mouth with her hand and smiled in surprise. Then she fixed Ronald with wide eyes and asked, "Are you asking me out?"

   "Wait for me to audition for the last few before noon. Let's go to the nearby cafe. Didn't you say that you came to Los Angeles to interview for a big project? I thought it was Leon's 'Once Upon a Time in America'."

"I will also go to 'Once Upon a Time in America', which was recommended by my mother's agent. This 'Urchin of the World' was recommended by my father's agent. They are all works of great directors, and they are here today. How many hundred people?"

   "There are still many tomorrows", Ronald was busy recording Helen's audition records.

  Helen saw that Ronald was lowering his head to write the interview log again, and changed the videotape, "I'll wait for you first, and come to the door to find me when you're done."

   "Okay, just wait for me."

   Ronald auditioned several more actresses, and during the lunch break, Coppola also came to see his audition.

   "A total of ... actresses were interviewed in the morning. Shall we continue at 1:00 pm?" Ronald reported the situation.

   "Good job, after the primary election in these two days, we will start mixed interviews." Coppola looked at his watch, you go to lunch first, Ronald, we will start on time in the afternoon.

  Ronald hurried out to find Helen. The date was less than an hour, so he was really nervous. "What does the mixed interview mean? Could it be Coppola's secret? His 'Godfather' casting is perfect, and I have to learn from it."

   Picked up Helen Slater at the entrance of the studio, and the two went to a nearby cafe for a light meal.

   "Both your parents found you an agent?"

"Yeah, the agent my father found always restricted the roles I could cast. There were some revealing scenes in 'Once Upon a Time in America'. He refused to let me go, saying it was my father's intention. But my mother was very open-minded. She recommended Another agent of my company put me in touch."

   "Isn't your mother a lawyer? How come you know a show agent?"

   "It's interesting to say that the agent also supports environmental protection and anti-war, and participated in the activities organized by my mother. He also discovered Christopher Reeve who played Superman..."

   "Did you graduate from acting academy in New York?"

"Yeah, let me tell you, the students there are very fond of 'Fame' written by you. Now the TV series version has been aired on MGM in New York, and the character of Leroy in the movie version is still the original version. The actor... but Erin Cara, who played CoCo, will not be playing..."

   "That's Gene Ray, I didn't expect him to go back to play the TV version of the same character..."

   It is rare for Ronald to chat with acquaintances in Los Angeles. He felt that the quality of this simple meal was very good, and he seemed to be fully charged after eating,

  …

   "Bert and his daughter Diane are here," casting director Fred said to Coppola, meanwhile, in the diorama studio.

   "It's just at noon, and Ronald hasn't come back yet." Coppola looked at his watch, "It's okay, let her audition. I will operate the camera for her."

   "My name is Diane Lane...uh, Diane Lane, seventeen years old..." Diane was rarely nervous, and mispronounced the accent of her name. Coppola is the director of "The Godfather", and his father Bert has instilled a lot in him, knowing that this opportunity is rare.

   "Have you ever fallen in love with someone?" Fred, the casting director, asked.

"Did you fall in love with someone else? Yes, in high school." Diane lowered her head a little shyly, then raised her eyes, "Hmm... the most important thing about falling in love with someone is to feel that way for the first time. You know , um..." She laughed nervously a few times.

   "It's when he sneaks a few glances at him when he's not looking, and prays for him to look over, look over. But when he does look over, you avoid his gaze. Hehe..."

   One of Diane's eyebrows is raised upwards, revealing a mixture of cuteness and shyness in the eyes.

  Casting director Fred quietly poked Coppola, "What do you think?"

   "I think she is a living cherry (Cherry)."

  (end of this chapter)