The next filming started to go smoothly. Jennifer Beals is a top student who was admitted to Yale University. Her understanding is outstanding. Adrian Lyne explained her character's background, personality, and behavior, and she performed them well.
.
For example, in the scene where Alex works as a welding girl in a steel factory, Jennifer Beals puts on work clothes, a helmet, and protective goggles, and uses a welding gun to weld workpieces.
Westinghouse had just demolished their turbine plant equipment in Pittsburgh, and the crew rented the plant as the interior of the steel plant.
Beers picked up the welding gun and pointed the camera at her helmet, which had the word Alex written on it. Steam and loud noises began to fill the shooting location.
"action!"
Biers used the welding gun to tap on the workpiece, and a burst of sparks came out. She didn't know how to keep the welding gun at the right distance from the workpiece to allow the welding rod to melt evenly and stably. The magnetic force always pushed her welding rod to one side, and it would turn off at every turn.
Already.
Biers was very smart. She continued to poke the workpiece with the welding rod, so that the current could continue to pass through, and a lot of sparks popped out of the welding rod.
"cut!"
Lane made a good gesture. Anyway, the audience can't tell the difference, and the point of the film is not to depict the work of female welders.
Ronald and the staff applauded to congratulate the successful shooting of the scene. Together with the newly shot shots of forklifts, tipping buckets, and employees banging pipes with unknown meanings, the editing turned out to be a scene of heavy metal in a steel factory.
"Why should such an advanced factory be dismantled?" Ronald chatted with Westinghouse personnel after the filming was completed.
"The current labor union is so powerful that they are planning to stop producing turbines and instead purchase products from Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries."
…
"Woo..." The hydraulic device of the dump truck exerted great force, pushing the dump truck onto its head and flipping over. The close-up shot of the dump truck made it look majestic. Jennifer Beals took off her welding mask and shook her hair from side to side.
He breathed a sigh of relief.
The next day, Ronald, director Adrian Lyne, and producer Don Simpson sat together again to watch the dailies.
The recorder was playing the theme song for "Flashdance" written and recorded by singer Joe Esposito... "What a feeling."
The melody was very nice, and Ronald had heard it in his dreams. He began to imagine how to edit the scenes shot by Director Lane to match the rhythm of the music.
"This scene should last for two bars of music, then cut to the scene of the heroine welding, then the scene of knocking on the pipe, and finally, when the melody is accumulating energy, cut to the scene of Beers flipping his hair..."
"Ronald, Ronald?"
When Ronald came to his senses, Don Simpson was asking him a question.
"Ronald, what do you think? There is a mismatch between the theme song and the picture. What do you think?"
Director Adrian Lane asked Ronald sincerely for his opinion. He now regarded Ronald as a worthy artist. Sometimes even though he had ideas, he still wanted to ask Ronald about his opinions.
Opinion.
"Doesn't it match?" Ronald listened carefully and found that the lyrics were different from those in his dream. The lyrics in the dream were more from a woman's perspective, explaining her journey of pursuing her dream.
"Maybe we should re-write the lyrics and tell the story from the heroine's perspective..."
"You're right, why don't you do the writing?" Don Simpson responded, "Adrian, Ronald was the songwriter for the Oscar for Best Original Song."
"This..." Ronald didn't want to copy someone else's work this time, "This is a song narrated from a female perspective. Maybe it would be more appropriate for us to find a woman to write the lyrics. There are some subtle differences in the emotional expressions of men and women."
"That's right. Why don't we find a female singer to sing this song again?" Director Ryan took the opportunity to express his thoughts, "What do you think? Ronald, Don?"
"A female singer is a good idea." Ronald nodded of course.
"Female singer, we might have to find a mezzo-soprano." Don Simpson looked at Ronald, "Do you have any candidates?"
"You should have seen the theme song of 'Famous', right?" Ronald thought of his old friend Erin Kara.
"Is that the song 'same(fame)? Hahaha, of course I have heard of it. That black girl is indeed a good candidate. You should call her and ask her to submit a demo."
…
"Ronald... Long time no see... What, there is a movie theme song... Hmm, play the melody to me... Rewrite the lyrics?... Narrated from a female perspective... I understand, I will go to the recording studio right away.
"
Erin Kara was very happy when she received a call from Ronald. She had been singing "Fame" for two years, and she urgently needed a new song, otherwise the TV station would soon stop letting her appear on the show.
.
She grabbed the notebook containing the original lyrics that Ronald dictated over the phone, rushed out of her New York apartment, stopped a taxi, and rushed to the recording studio. In the back seat of the taxi, she took out her notebook and
Pencil, changed it.
"Alone, I've cried
Silent tears, full of pride
In a world of steel
Well, I heard music
Close my eyes and feel the rhythm
Surround and hold my heart
what a wonderful feeling
To exist is to believe
I can have it all and now I'm dancing for my life"
Half an hour later, Erin Kara rushed to the recording studio, grabbed the phone, and dialed Pittsburgh.
"Ronald, I have written new lyrics, please listen to it..."
"What do you think?"
Erin Kara changed the lyrics on the road, and then went to the studio to sing a demo a cappella. Don Simpson and Adrian Lane heard Erin's singing over the phone.
Don Simpson closed his eyes and drew circles in the air with his fingers, as if directing the band to play the theme song "what a feeling"
After listening to the demo, he opened his eyes and said, "Very good, let's use your friend's version. I think this song has the potential to become a hit. When Alex takes the exam at the ballet academy, why not use this music?"
Don Simpson's last words were to the director.
"It's great. It vividly expresses the inner feelings of a girl pursuing the art of dance in a steel industry city. How did you find this lyricist and singer?"
Ronald was stunned for a moment. He just thought that the voice of the singer in his dream sounded like a black man, and he happened to know Irene Kara. However, he had to make up a reason to show that he had artistic taste.
"Irene Cara is a black Latina, and this identity in this industry has a harder road. So she feels the same way, right? She changed those women in less than half an hour on the way to the studio.
Perspective Lyrics.”
After saying this, Don Simpson and Adrian Lane both nodded. In the American music scene, local black people have always provided talent, and white people have been responsible for commercialization. Erin Kara, who does not rely on either side, will indeed have a chance.
A similar state of mind to the main character Alex.
Alex is a welder who works in a factory. With his wild dance foundation, he wants to be admitted to the ballet academy. He also needs to deal with the doubts of others and himself.
The demo of Erin Kara's score was produced quickly, and the crew quickly got the theme song "What a Wonderful Feeling."
The crew applied for a morning shooting invitation from the Pittsburgh government and prepared to shoot Alex riding a bicycle to work, traveling through the streets and alleys of Pittsburgh and the iconic Three Sisters Bridge.
These are three steel bridges in downtown Pittsburgh. They were built in the 1920s, an era when America's infrastructure was booming. The three sister bridges closely connect the city center separated by three rivers, and there are also bicycle lanes on them.
For human use.
The Pittsburgh Police Department sent some police officers to help the crew coordinate traffic.
The recording team played the recording of "What a Wonderful Feeling" at the scene, which made the heroine Jennifer Beals even more into the state.
"Didi..." A policeman who was sent to direct traffic also heard the music. He began to imitate various musical instruments and made many dance moves to direct traffic.
Ronald looked very interesting and quickly grabbed director Adrian Lane's shoulder. "Adrian, look at that man..."
"What is that?" Ryan also found it interesting.
"A police officer who dances to direct traffic, why don't we put him in a movie? I bet this guy is famous in Pittsburgh," Ronald said.
"Hello, sir, can I interrupt you for a moment?" Ronald went over and greeted the policeman.
"Hello, I am Vic Sianca, police number xxxxx"
The dancer directing traffic saluted Ronald and introduced himself.
"Is this how you usually direct traffic?"
"Yes, traffic control is very boring, and the drivers in Pittsburgh are not very good-tempered. I will use some dance moves to keep everyone calm and in order."
"What do you think about appearing in our movie and playing yourself?"
"Oh, may I? I have to tell my wife the good news. Thank you, sir."
After communicating with officials sent by the Pittsburgh government, this policeman who uses dance moves to direct traffic is also very famous locally. He has directed traffic for more than 20 years and has even been featured in the "Pittsburgh Post-Gazette".
He was called the "Baryshnikov of the Crossroads" by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and was known to all Pittsburgh locals.
"Very good, this kind of plot arrangement will increase the recognition of local audiences." Don Simpson also learned of the news and agreed to add a scene.
"You know what? I think Alex should use some movements that are not traditional ballet." Ronald explained his own ideas and some scenes in the dream to Don and Adrian.
"Alex is a welder, and his dance was learned from the ballet dancers on TV. There must be a lot of informality and irregularities. It is almost impossible for such a character to be admitted to the Pittsburgh Ballet Academy.
We have to make the audience feel that this plot is reasonable, so we have to add some street dances to her, such as imitating the policeman's dance steps, so that the judges of the entrance exam will find it fresh. Her admission will also be more convincing.
."
The more Ronald talked about it, the more it made sense, "Although Alex's boyfriend and steel mill boss Nick helped her win the interview and admission opportunity, her admission must not come through the same back door, but should be through Alex's own struggle.
related."
"It makes sense. We can let Bills learn a few moves from the dancing policeman, but that's not enough. What kind of dance should we add to her?" Don Simpson felt that this improvised plot was very well connected with the original script.
, so I prepared to ask the choreographer and director to start working overtime.
"What do you think of this kind of dance?" Ronald simply took off his coat and danced the black break dance steps he saw in his dream.
"What the hell kind of dance is this?" Don Simpson's eyes popped out of his head.
"This is called the moonwalk, this is called the moonwalk, this is called the noodle dance, and this..." Ronald found the marble floor of the porch of a building nearby, lay down on the ground, and began to spin.
"This is called a helicopter. I'm not a good jumper." Ronald stopped his movements and explained to the director and producer.
"This is a popular dance among black people on the east and west coasts. You can go to Los Angeles and ask some real dancers to try it. Latinos and black people dance more. There is a TV show that often plays this kind of dance. It's called... Soul