Cameron Crowe is slightly older than Ronald, but looks more like a high school student than Ronald. He has long hair parted in the middle, shorter than the Beatles and longer than the bob.
. Wearing a T-shirt on the upper body, jeans and tennis shoes on the lower body, and carrying a backpack.
He is the author of the novel "Fast Times at Ridgemont High."
Ronald was surprised by his outfit. He looked more like a real teenager than an author.
Agent Richard asked the author of the novel to meet Ronald through Universal Pictures. After the two authors introduced each other, Cameron Crowe took out a book with a blank cover and handed it to Ronald
.
"This is a sample book. Simon & Schuster has ordered the novel to be published early next year. They gave me a contract two years ago, and I spent a year undercover at Claremont High School in my hometown of San Diego. Then I wrote the novel.
Universal Pictures was very satisfied with the sample book and gave me an option contract to purchase the film adaptation rights of the novel."
Ronald took the book and flipped through it. The book was less than 250 pages long. It was a youth novel, and he could probably read it on the plane.
"It must be difficult to go back to high school undercover, right? Do you have to be very careful about people discovering that you are an undercover writer?"
"On the contrary, I was undercover at Claremont High School for 10 months, and no one ever found out that I was an adult. During the prom, the principal even forgot who I was." Crowe chuckled.
"He interrogated me for half an hour, and finally agreed that I would be an undercover agent after he found out that I had written a biography for singer and movie star Kris Kristofferson."
Ronald was also made to laugh by Crowe. He liked Crowe's personality very much. He had stayed in Hollywood for a long time and met a writer who usually did not perform. The two had a very pleasant chat.
"Actually, I think anyone who goes back to high school can quickly integrate into being with teenagers. Of course, I take advantage of being young." Cameron Crowe continued to talk about his experience, "The memories of those teenagers are just
Sealed in our memory, as long as the right situation comes, they will be inspired soon."
Ronald nodded, he felt the same way. "I think so too. When I was revising the script for 'Famous', I was with some students from an art high school, and I could quickly understand their ideas. High school students
Memories will come pouring out like a floodgate opening."
"That's right." Cameron Crowe is glad that there is a playwright who thinks like him. "The real hard thing is growing up again. When I went to the prom at Claremont High School, my mother complained that I was stuck.
Mellen, you used to be a very mature child, and you would never be so excited just because of the graduation prom and driving a car to the prom."
"Hahaha……"
Ronald flipped through the novel, which contained many detailed descriptions of high school life. The beginning and end were about two brothers and sisters from a middle-class family, Brad and Stacey. There were many stories about their own relationships and their friends interspersed in between.
It is a group portrait of a teenager growing up.
He put the sample book of the novel on the table, closed the cover, and then said sincerely to Cameron Crowe:
"Cameron, I like the beginning and end of your novel very much. I think I will finish it quickly. But in fact, you can complete the adaptation of this novel by yourself without my help. You are the best person to come here."
The person who wrote this script.
There is no secret in the so-called script format. You can learn it by buying a few copies and reading them. But the emotions of the characters, the development of the story, and the detailed processing are something only you can do in the world."
Cameron Crowe scratched his head like a high school student, "Ronald, this is why I asked an experienced screenwriter to help me."
He took the book, opened the pages, pointed at the names one by one and said to Ronald, "Mark, nicknamed 'Mouse', is a good friend of mine. He is a nerdy Geek who is very good at understanding technological products.
, but I’m not very good at making girlfriends.
This is the first friend I made in Claremont High School, Linda. She is a social butterfly and everyone in the school knows her. The main character, Stacey, is Linda’s best friend.
This is Jeff Spicoli. He is a good surfer. Sometimes his brain is not very bright, but his surfing is professional.
…
All of these people are real people I know, and I can't let go of any of them. The movie is only 90 minutes long, and it can't accommodate all the characters and plots in the novel. My emotions make it impossible for me to choose, and my lack of experience can't.
Let me analyze which plot is important.
I heard Richard say on the phone, you don't want to take away my credit, and I appreciate it. But I really need your help, otherwise it won't be able to turn into a successful movie, and I will feel sorry for my friend.
, I have a friendship with these characters and their archetypes, and I want them to be brought to life on screen."
Ronald nodded and put the novel into his bag. "I understand your creative impulse. I will read the novel first and then make a decision. What does Universal think of your adaptation?"
Cameron Crowe has written a slightly more detailed story than a synopsis and submitted it to Universal Pictures.
"They had a lot of opinions and wanted me to eliminate half of the characters in the novel from the script and focus the story on brother and sister Brad and Stacey. But I felt they didn't understand the story, which is about teenagers growing up.
The story is incomplete without anyone.
Teenagers are full of hope for the future. They think more about the world than most adults. Because when they become adults, they are busy with trivial things and forget what kind of people they are. This is the age when most people may think the most.
The active stage is full of thoughts and experiences about life and the world as a whole.”
"I understand your thinking, you want this to be a group drama of teenagers."
"That's it!"
Ronald also scratched his head. Like the last "Famous" that he participated in the revision of, it was another loose group portrait script without a main story.
"My main focus now will be on the sequel to Universal's other movie script, 'Grease,' so I'm afraid I won't have extra energy to revise your script for the rest of this year."
"It doesn't matter. Both Simon & Schuster and Universal hope to determine the script after the novel is released next year and after understanding readers' feedback and opinions. The editor of the publishing house is very optimistic about the novel, but after all, the market response cannot be predicted in advance.
.”
Ronald understood that Universal's investment and the direction of the script might have to be adjusted based on the sales of the novel. So he agreed to Crowe and seriously considered participating in adapting the novel into a script.
…
After parting ways with Cameron Crowe, Ronald's luggage included a young adult novel and Universal's revisions to the sequel to "Grease."
After the intense meeting, Ronald boarded the plane back to New York. The schedule was very tight and he didn't have time to get together with old friends such as James Cameron and Gale Hurd. He called Gale.
Knowing that she was valued by Roger Corman, she had already begun to supervise the progress of some crews and started working as a producer.
Cameron received another job as a special effects model, filming "Out of the Galaxy" for Roger Corman. He is also considered a well-known low-cost special effects expert in Hollywood.
On the plane, Ronald read Cameron Crowe's novel "Fast-paced Richmond High" in one sitting.
The novel is indeed fast-paced, with more than 200 pages, telling the story of seven or eight high school students. In addition to the protagonists Stacey and Brad, brother and sister, there are also surfer Jeff, the nerdy mouse Mark who has a crush on Stacey, and Stacey.
Tessie's good friend Linda, the social queen, and Mike, a kid from a poor family who knows everything...
Ronald was attracted by the storyline and unknowingly arrived in New York.
"I can't read it anymore. I have to concentrate on the sequel of Grease now." Ronald stuffed the novel into his bag and called a taxi back to his aunt Karen's house.
"Ronald, America's quadrennial election is coming soon. You are 20 years old and can already vote. Can you tell your aunt which candidate you plan to vote for?" At the dinner table welcoming Ronald home,
Aunt Karen asked Ronald slightly seriously.
Yes, he was not old enough for the last election. This was something that his aunt valued very much, and she considered it an obligation. Ronald didn't really care about this. If Aunt Karen hadn't mentioned it, he would have forgotten it.
"I haven't thought about it yet. I'm not very satisfied with the current president. Oil prices and the economy are not good. But the governor of California used to be an actor. I don't know if he can really change everything." Ronald decided first.
Wait for a moment, let’s understand it first and then talk about it.
"That's just right. The Women's Voting Alliance will hold the second live televised candidate debate next week. You can watch it together. This will help you make a better choice."