Catholics have a tradition of not eating meat on Fridays, so McDonald's, which mainly sells beef burgers, also invented fried cod burgers. Ronald doesn't eat them often, and the Big Mac coupons ran out today.
When I got home, I boiled a pot of water, took out a tea bag, and brewed a large cup of black tea. I drank the black tea and ate dinner in a hurry. Ronald sat at the table and started to stare blankly.
Ronald applied to two public universities in New York. One was the State University of New York at Albany, and the other was the newly established City University of New York at Staten Island. The economy was in recession and inflation was serious.
You may not be able to find a good job without a diploma.
Ronald chose two cheap public universities. Aunt Karen is a resident of New York State, so he can enjoy a large tuition exemption. The accounting major he applied for is a type of job that is needed by all companies. Even if the Great Depression comes again, there will still be
I can make a living by sorting out invoices and keeping accounts for the grocery store.
In New York, in the northeastern United States, people often hear about Ivy League private schools, such as Harvard, Yale, Columbia, etc.
The starting point for class separation in America is college, and Ronald also wants to go to a prestigious school. He has no money and no scholarships. The tuition of private elite schools is several times that of public schools. SAT scores and high school scores are enough to qualify, but low-interest student loans funded by the state
Can't apply.
Hey, if I have no choice but to go to the Staten Island campus of the City University of New York, which has just been upgraded from a community college (associate to bachelor's degree), I'm afraid I will have to look up to those students from prestigious schools for the rest of my life.
…
I joined a film company and worked as a temporary director for a day. I originally just wanted to find a job in the industry so that I could earn more hard-earned money from taking pictures.
However, the conversation with Gale about his dream, and the feeling of making a decision at the end of the day in a crew of dozens of people, ignited a wildfire in Ronald's heart.
…
In the film industry, only those with talent can make big money. You must have talent, right?
Besides, there is also the strange dream last night. If you can dream about more future movies, you can make a lot of money by filming them in advance, right?
Not necessarily.
Film is the most expensive art.
Unlike a novelist, who can buy a pencil and paper for one dollar to write. If you want to be a painter, you only need to buy a brush, paint, and canvas for $100 and start painting.
If you want to make a feature film that will be released in theaters, the minimum cost is $200,000.
Even a 10-minute short film like the one Jim made that has no chance of being shown in theaters costs more than $20,000.
To make a movie with a normal budget, sorry... $3 million starts.
…
How about taking out the script and submitting it to the studio? Then be appreciated by the producer, become a director, make a masterpiece, marry Bai Fumei, and reach the pinnacle of life?
I'm afraid it's not that easy.
Not to mention other things, judging from my experience of reading scripts for several months at New World Productions, many of the movies to be shot this year actually had their scripts written five years ago, and they were still in the warehouses of the eight major studios.
It has been hidden for more than ten years.
As a young man with no successful works and no connections, I am afraid that if the script he writes is sent to the eight major studios, it will not even be able to pass the test of a reviewer like myself.
…
Join a new world, slowly gain the appreciation of Roger Corman, and then become like Alan and Joe?
This road is also difficult.
This is no longer the era of big studios. Twenty years ago, as long as you worked in a big studio and had talent and hard work, you could get ahead. Write scripts for the stars of your own company, find directors of your own company to film, and make your own films.
After five or six years, he could be promoted to assistant director, until he became a director and started shooting his own movie with a budget of 3 million US dollars.
In today's Hollywood, everything is a free market. You can find your own investments, find your own actors, and negotiate with your own distribution companies.
Before you get the ticket to enter the free market, you have to be like Ellen and Joe, and get the minimum wage of 200 US dollars per week stipulated by the union during filming, and reduce your income by more than half when not filming. Stay for five or six years
Only in the year could a small low-cost production of 300,000 US dollars be started. This was done under the hands of Roger Corman, a well-known and kind man in the industry.
Not only that, in the New Hollywood movement in the past 10 years, the new generation of great directors who have emerged are all college graduates. George Lucas, who shot "Star Wars", Francis Coppola, who shot "The Godfather",
Martin Scorsese in “Taxi Driver”…
After graduating from high school, can I compete with graduates from these famous schools?
…
But thinking about it on the other hand, it is not easy for me to enter the film industry.
How many handsome men and beautiful women want to enter this industry but cannot find the door.
I accidentally got into New World Production and participated in the filming of the movie. It can be said that luck plays a big role. At another time, I might not even be able to pass the interview.
If you go to the City University of New York to study accounting for four years, you will most likely become an accountant. The movie dream you once had may become a youthful memory like Chrissy and Marla.
…
Ronald held the cup and took a sip of the black tea. The feeling of responding to everything on set came to mind again.
I smiled bitterly, and I really enjoyed recalling that moment. Anyone who has had this decisive creative experience would probably want to do it again.
After you go to college, you may find a stable job with an average income, and then forget about making movies as a dream.
You may make a lot of money working hard in Hollywood, or you may remain poor, but no matter what, one thing is certain, you will still be poor for several years.
How to choose between going to college and making movies? It would be great if there was a way to get the best of both worlds.
If you get the best of both worlds... maybe it's not impossible.
…
"Ring ring ring ring..."
The phone rang suddenly.
"Hello, this is Ronald."
"Uh, hello, I'm looking for Mr. Lee, he's a portrait photographer." A nice mezzo-soprano voice came.
"I am, please call me Ronald, who are you?"
"Okay. Ronald, my friend recommended you to me. You see, I called you several times this week, but no one answered, so I gave it one last try tonight."
"Sorry, I have been working on a film crew since the Thanksgiving holiday, so I have not been at home during this time."
"Then do you still help people take audition photos?"
"Yes, but I will be filming on the set next week until the 22nd."
"So you're busy before Christmas?"
"I should be free on the 23rd, and the morning of the 24th is fine. Everyone is celebrating the holidays in the afternoon."
"Okay, I would like to ask you to take a set of audition photos for me. Let's take the 23rd."
"What's your name, please?"
"My name is Demi Gaines"
"Okay, do you want to update your audition photos, or is this your first time?"
"first."
"Okay, do you want to shoot in black and white or in color?" Ronald opened the drawer, took out a work notebook, and began to take notes.
"Um, I don't know, what do you think?"
"It depends on whether the movie you want to audition for is black and white or color. If you just film it and keep it with the casting director, then I recommend color."
"Okay, let's do it in color."
"Well, do you want to shoot outdoors or indoors? Oh, if this is your first time, you can consider indoors. Nowadays, more movies are shot in studios. You can use indoors at the beginning and add more later if necessary."
"Oh, I listen to you, you sound very professional."
"Thank you. You can come to my house to take pictures. I live in Venice Beach..."
"Wait a minute, Ronald. I'm a graphic model with an agent. I don't go to the photographer's house." The girl was very wary.
"I completely understand. If you have a free photo studio, I can rent it to your place. If I rent a photo studio, I need to spend additional money. Or if you have a larger room at home, I can also bring lights and go to your place.
shoot."
"That's great, my boyfriend's home in West Hollywood is huge."
"Generally speaking, when taking audition photos for the first time, I recommend taking two versions, one suitable for a drama and one for a romantic comedy. The total cost of the two sets of photography is $50, including five 6x8-inch photos per version, and the negative
.”
"Okay, it's settled."
"What's your phone number, Miss Gaines? I'll contact you on Friday the 22nd and we'll set up a shooting time and location."