After a few days of repairs at his aunt's house, Ronald went to the Richmond Savings Bank in town and paid off a one-time housing loan of $2,000.
It just so happened that the account manager was a classmate of Ronald's in high school, and he also extended the remaining repayment plan, allowing Aunt Karen to pay a lot less every month.
However, the first-year tuition at New York University is US$3,300, plus rent, book fees, and equipment rental fees essential for the film major, Ronald's savings are about to be significantly reduced.
The top priority is to reopen the portrait photography studio in Manhattan.
I found a real estate agency in the classified ads section of the New York Times. Ronald called and explained his needs: 1. It is close to New York University. 2. There needs to be a room for photography.
The agent picked Ronald up at the ferry terminal in the afternoon the next day and showed him three properties at once.
The first one is a studio in Soho, a 1,200-square-foot (110-square-meter) studio with a monthly rent of $1,250.
It is a large empty room, which is suitable for opening a real photography studio. However, it is not suitable for both commercial and residential use. Besides, the rent is also expensive, and the pressure of doing business every month is not small.
The second one is a small apartment in Brooklyn, with two bedrooms and one living room. The rent is only 280 US dollars per month. Although it is a little far away, it is connected by the subway, and it is only a few stops away from New York University.
The agent boasted that it was a historic house, and the landlord had equipped it with a modernly decorated kitchen and bathroom.
Ronald felt that the rent was cheap and was a little tempted. He agreed to go to the site to have a look, but he was disappointed.
It turns out that modern decoration means that gas and hot water are connected, while historical decoration means that the house is very dilapidated and leaks when it rains, leaving traces on the walls.
The third house is on the east side of New York University, at the junction of NOHO and the East Village, in the artist's apartment on 2nd Avenue. The house is also relatively old, but it is well maintained. It is a three-story house.
room apartment.
Outside the door are restaurants owned by various ethnic minorities, including Jews, Italians, Ukrainians, Japanese, and Chinese.
Across the street was a Kodak photofinishing store, with a deli and a grocery store next to it, making life very convenient. There was a Wells Fargo Bank just one block away. Ronald fell in love with the environment here as soon as he saw it.
The house was a low-rent house built by the government for the poor in the past, but now it has been turned into a rental apartment. Therefore, we do not pay attention to the rational layout, but pay attention to the housing acquisition rate.
The agent said that this type of room is called a train apartment, which is like three train compartments. The three rooms are connected from front to back, and there are no corridors or entrances. It is similar to the shotgun room at my aunt's house.
There is a house that Ronald plans to use as a living room and reception room for photography. The second, largest room in the middle is used as a photography room. The last room is used as a bedroom and study room.
After bargaining, Ronald rented this train apartment on the second floor for $500 per month. There was no elevator, and fortunately, there was no need to climb too high.
After chatting with the caretaker, he found that this kind of house did not have separate water, electricity and gas meters, so it was shared among the residents. After paying the deposit and opening the phone, Ronald began to prepare to open a photography studio.
The apartment was full of artists, the kind who were not doing very well. Of course they were not too bad, and they were not reduced to living in Hell's Kitchen. Ronald found a Czech painter and took portraits in exchange for them.
He simply decorated his small apartment.
Especially the portrait photos of Demi Moore and Natasha Kinski, which were enlarged and hung on the wall of the reception room, facing the door. Another enlarged photo of Demi Moore was posted on the window on the second floor.
On the back, next to it were written the artistic words "Audition Photography".
Ronald was very satisfied and bought a typewriter and a Sony TV, thus settling down in New York.
"At the 29th West Berlin Film Festival, the Soviet delegation and delegations from the Eastern Bloc collectively withdrew from the film festival to protest against Michael Cimino's participating film "The Deer Hunter" and its slander of the North Vietnamese People's Army..."
Seeing his old acquaintance Fatty again on TV, Ronald smiled and said that he had better walk steadily on the road first.
He typed up an advertisement for audition photos on a typewriter. After he was satisfied with the revisions, Ronald went to the copy shop and made hundreds of copies to try out by distributing them around the area tomorrow.
I went out to the Abe Lebevoor delicatessen on the corner across the street and bought some meat. I went to the grocery store to buy some bread, cigarettes and red wine. Ronald asked Czech painters and invited some artists from the residents.
Come and have a party at home.
They were all artists, and they began to comment on the audition photos of the two beauties taken by Ronald. The unanimous point of view was that Ronald was very good at capturing the moments when the beauties showed their emotions, but he was not good at artistry and did not show any emotion.
The physical beauty of a beautiful woman.
"I'm casting for movie directors, you don't understand." Ronald scolded with a smile.
After distributing some of his advertising leaflets to various "artists", Ronald expected to have business coming to his door tomorrow.
Sure enough, at noon the next day, someone came to the door and wanted to take audition photos.
The person who knocked on the door was a beautiful black-haired woman. When Ronald opened the door, she seemed to be frightened.
The beauty shrank back like a frightened rabbit, and then combed her hair with her hands, "Are you the photographer who takes audition photos as mentioned in this advertisement?"
A pair of eyes moved flexibly, trying to look into the room. Compared with the flyer in his hand, he seemed not to believe that Ronald was a photographer at such a young age.
Ronald stepped aside and opened the door wide, allowing the beauty to see the situation in the reception room. Pointing to the two sample pictures on the wall, he said, "I am Ronald, the photographer on the flyer, and here are my audition portraits."
studio."
The beauty watched Ronald open the door. There was nothing unusual in the room. She entered the room cautiously and looked at the two audition photos on the wall.
This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading! "Tea or coffee?" Ronald said, opening the kitchen door and going to get the hot water kettle.
"Just coffee. Were you the ones who took these two photos?" the beautiful woman's voice came from the living room.
"Yes, one is the German actress Natasha Kinski, who played the female lead in Polanski's 'Tess.' The other is Demi Moore, who has not had a role in a movie yet.
, but I think it will be a matter of time."
While chatting, Ronald made a cup of instant coffee and served it to the other party. Seeing the beauty gradually relaxing while drinking coffee, Ronald began to ask: "Is this your first time taking audition photos, or do you want to update them?"
"First time taking audition photos."
"Do you want to shoot it in color or black and white? For auditions for dramas or romantic comedies?"
Ronald asked as he filled out the form and handed it over: "Take a look and see if it's what you asked for. One audition photo, for the main drama, in color, 20 copies. The total is 60 US dollars."
The beauty took the form and looked at it carefully. Only then did Ronald have the opportunity to carefully observe the beauty's appearance.
Her black shoulder-length hair was neatly combed behind her ears, revealing two silver earrings. She was wearing a black velvet turtleneck top that highlighted her snow-white skin.
The beauty was still comparing project names and explanations one by one, and seemed a little embarrassed to ask. A pair of dark eyes stared at the form, as if she was stumped by the choice between a drama or a romantic comedy.
Looking at the beauty's black hair and black eyes, Ronald's heart moved and he suddenly blurted out: "Are you of Chinese descent?"
"How do you know?" The beauty suddenly jumped up from her seat, "Who told you?"
"Relax." Ronald was startled by the beauty's actions. He quickly stood up and apologized, "I just had an intuition that your facial lines are very Chinese and very beautiful. I usually only look in magazines.
I have met Chinese people before, so I ask you, no offense intended."
The beauty wears a belt outside her top. The belt buckle is inlaid with blue lapis lazuli decoration. Her lower body is jeans and sneakers. She wears a bohemian style. She wears cheap clothes and jewelry to look very elegant.
temperament.
The beauty smiled, but this photographer had just moved here and would not know her situation. So she stretched out her hand and said, "I'm Meg Tilly, nice to meet you."
After "Ronald Lee" shook hands, the two sat down again.
Meg seemed to have put down her burden and was no longer nervous. She began to confirm the columns on the form with Ronald one by one.
Then Ronald took advantage of the Nikon camera and began to take audition portraits of Meg. Meg was not very good at facing the camera, but she had a very good figure. When she stood in front of the camera, her whole body had an upward energy.
"Are you studying dance?" Ronald asked curiously.
"Yes, I used to be a ballet dancer." Meg smiled, raised her left leg, did a standing split lightly, and put her foot on the wall.
"Oh, this pose is not easy. I have to take a picture. I can give it to you for free."...
After returning from Kodak printing, Ronald handed over the large audition photo with Meg's name written on it, "You can staple your resume to the back and you can show it to your agent."
Meg took the photo, but did not leave immediately. She looked at Ronald with a smile for a long time, glanced at the ground, then raised her head, "Ronald, I saw you taking audition photos for Natalie Kinski."
, you also know a lot about how to take audition photos to impress the director, are you from the film and television industry?"
"I worked on a film crew in Hollywood, and now I'm a freshman in the film department at New York University." Ronald liked talking to this elegant girl. "I think you have a good physical condition, and your face is quite photogenic, so it should be
He will have a place in the film and television industry."
"Really? But I haven't entered the industry yet." Meg started to look at her feet again and smiled shyly.
"Of course, I have also been a second-unit director on a film crew, so I know who is suitable for movies." Ronald smiled, "Why don't we have lunch together, and I will slowly explain to you some of the requirements for entering the industry."
"Are you asking me out, Ronald?" Meg asked, tilting her head and smiling.
"Of course, I formally invite you, Miss Meg Tilly, to lunch with me."
The two found a Japanese restaurant and started chatting about each other's situation.
It turns out that Meg Tilly's father is a Chinese businessman named Chen. Her mother divorced her biological father when she was three years old and took her and her sister to Canada.
Canada, like America, has looming discrimination against Chinese Americans, with fewer opportunities. So Meg has always kept the secret that she is half-Chinese. She was shocked when Ronald revealed it just now.
She studied ballet since she was a child, and later received a full scholarship to Skidmore College, a famous private dance school in New York. She studied under dance master Melissa Hayden, the former head of the New York City Ballet.
Last year, she was admitted to the Connecticut Ballet and was supposed to embark on a career as a professional ballet dancer. Unfortunately, during a training session before going to the Connecticut Ballet, she accidentally fell while being lifted by a male partner and injured her back.
He was seriously injured and could no longer pursue a dance career.
The resilience of her character supported Meg to stay in New York and wanted to switch careers to acting, but she was unable to get into it, whether it was film, television, or Broadway.
If she doesn't have a new job and doesn't have enough savings, Meg may move to Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen area next month to rent a house and work as a waitress while continuing her dream.
The two chatted more and more happily, and Meg shared all her difficulties with Ronald.
"I heard that actresses under the age of 30 in New York are going crazy now. MGM is going to invest in a teen drama with 10 starring opportunities. All the agents are promoting their young actors to casting studios.
." Meg Tilley said.
"Where's your agent?" Ronald thought to himself. This was the second time he heard about this casting studio.
"I haven't gotten my Screen Actors Guild card yet, so I don't have an agent." Meg said timidly.
"It's okay," Ronald held Meg's hand to comfort him, "I'm going to the casting studio tomorrow. You go with me and see if there's any chance to recommend you."