"Why haven't you started filming 'Terminator' yet?" After editing "Break Dance", Ronald took advantage of the weekend to come and play with Jim Cameron and Gale Hurd.
I originally thought that the filming of their movie had already started, or at least the preliminary work of setting up scenes had begun. Unexpectedly, the two of them were still stuck at home, and the preparation work was progressing very slowly.
"In fact, Wasinger has already filmed 'Conan the Destroyer', and we have already found a heroine named Linda Hamilton. She looks weak and a little strong, which is very suitable for the heroine Sara."
Cameron is full of confidence.
"There's just something wrong with Orion's funding, so we have to postpone the start-up." Gale interjected.
"What's going on?" Ronald looked at Gale, "Orion is your publisher, right? Aren't they the stronger one? I thought there was something wrong with that small producer Heimdale."
"They were forced to add an additional budget of more than 10 million to Coppola's 'Cotton Club,' which squeezed the production funds of other films. Except for us, I heard that all Orion productions were affected."
"Oh!" Ronald calculated that the total investment in the "Cotton Club" was almost 60 million. From the footage he saw, it would be a bit difficult to recoup the investment.
"Hey," Ronald had a sudden thought. "Break Dance"'s direct rival, "Hot Street Kid" was also invested by Orion. Wouldn't it be very beneficial to him?
"Then when will you be able to turn it on?" Ronald put away his smile. It is not a virtue to be happy when your friends are in trouble.
"About March, I am still worried about the lack of funds, and many scenes cannot be filmed." Cameron was a little frustrated.
"No way? Didn't you cut a lot of scenes in this film?" Ronald remembered that Cameron originally wanted to shoot many scenes, but because of the cost, he once helped him delete as many scenes as possible based on the content of the dream.
Lots of sequel content.”
"It's just difficult to shoot. I want to shoot a road chase, I want to shoot the final battle where the human warriors and the Terminators are fighting in the fire, and finally I want to shoot Sarah alone with her baby on the interstate in the desert.
The footage of the child taking off on the road cannot be fully captured no matter how hard you count.”
It seemed that Cameron had not had anyone to talk to about the troubles of film production for a long time, so he took out a thick stack of storyboards and complained to Ronald.
Ronald listened to Cameron's talk a lot, and the three big scenes he wanted to shoot were indeed very important parts. The road chase was halfway through the movie, and a big scene was needed to boost the audience's drowsiness.
The spirit of sleep.
The final battle is the final climax. It must be very thrilling and exciting. In the end, the protagonist defeats a powerful enemy, so that the audience can empathize with it.
The final desert trip is the afterglow. The audience has experienced the decisive battle. The human warriors who returned from the hero's future died together with the killer robot Terminator. The boy pregnant by the heroine will be the leader of the future resistance army.
At this time, although the audience got a good ending in which the future leader was not eliminated, the male protagonist sacrificed for this and needed a little comfort to relieve the audience's emotions from the excitement and give them a glimmer of hope.
Cameron's apocalyptic film is a serious drama with a medium investment. It is different from "Night of the Comet", which he shot at a low cost. It needs a very serious treatment and cannot have a comedy ending.
But major dramas require big scenes and cost a lot of money. Cameron himself is a stunt expert. It's impossible that he doesn't know the cost here, but he just feels unwilling to do so? Who doesn't want his debut movie to be perfect?
Ronald thought for a while and started to draw on a piece of white paper, "I think your money may only be enough to shoot one of the scenes, why not just keep this car chase scene. Big explosions are always better to shoot, The scene is exciting and free of charge.
But this fight in the fire is too expensive, so you might as well change it to a mall chase. Anyway, I recommend that you put the lights in the Sherman Pines Department Store and use it directly with a little modification. There is no need to add extra lights. The faster you shoot, the more money you save. Then the two of them broke into the factory and fought in the factory without setting fire. It can be very intense, but it saves a lot of money.
For the final highway scene, I don’t think there’s any way to create a cumulonimbus cloud with an imminent heavy rain. Why don’t you pay more attention to the weather forecast and shoot when there is a heavy thunderstorm?”
Cameron took Ronald's painting and looked at the mall chase inside. In the end, the good guys and the bad guys fought in the factory, and the Terminator was lured into the punch press and was crushed to death by the machine. He couldn't help but shook his head, "Look. You are the direct disciple of Roger Corman, and there are so many ways to save money. Just do it. I also understand that this is the first movie, so I can’t ask for more.”
After solving the financial problem, the two of them rode motorcycles. Cameron took Gale and the three of them went to the countryside for a day.
On Monday, Ronald devoted himself to the editing of "The Dragon King".
As Minahan guessed, Ronald paid more attention to "The Kid" than "Break Dance." After a few days of rest, he rushed into the editing room arranged by producer Weintraub. Start a life of soaking in it every day.
It took a whole week for Ronald to first familiarize himself with all the shots several times and master the rhythm of the entire movie. Then he was confident and then slowly cut the scissors.
Ronald was editing that day, and Weintraub came.
I saw him cutting the scene where Mr. Miyagi was drunk, and Daniel discovered the tragic experience of Miyagi joining the 442nd Infantry Regiment when he was young, and his wife and unborn child both died due to dystocia.
After Daniel got drunk in Miyagi, he discovered that the box contained various medals of honor that Miyagi had won.
"Why don't you give the medal a frontal shot?" Weintraub asked strangely when Ronald saw only the shot of the medal being covered, letting him disappear in front of the audience.
Gu Geng
“Because I called the Japanese Senator of Hawaii, Mr. Daniel Inoue, and his assistant told me that although the Japanese suffered heavy losses, in history, no one has received the Medal of Honor, the highest honor in Congress.
The only yellow-skinned soldier to receive the highest honor in the military, the Congressional Medal of Honor, was Captain Francis Wei, a Chinese American who died on the Pacific battlefield."
"So I'm just hinting that this blue ribbon, the Distinguished Service Cross, the Silver Star and the Purple Heart below are all obtained by Senator Inoue. I can use the character's story to avoid violating the facts."
Weintraub glanced at him and said, "This is a movie, these little places are insignificant, right?"
Ronald smiled and said, "It doesn't matter, but I know it and I will try not to make any mistakes."
What he didn't tell Weintraub was that Ronald hoped that "The Kid" could be passed down to the world. He hoped that thirty years later, people would still be talking about this movie.
Most of the movies that have been handed down from generation to generation are actually very sophisticated, and the logic of the characters is as reasonable as possible. Although his "Longwei Boy" may not be passed down to the world, Ronald also wants to be as close to the great movies as possible.
"You are an ambitious young man, Ronald." Weintraub seemed to have seen his thoughts, "Just follow your ideas. The film scorer I am looking for is already here. When will you meet him?"
one side?"
"Here he comes? That's just right," Ronald stood up and said, "I can see him now."
Ronald likes the composer who intervenes in the post-production of the film in advance, so that he can communicate some of his ideas with him in advance. After the editing is completed, the mixing time will be much easier.
Bill Conti is an Italian composer. He once provided the theme music for Stallone's "Rocky", but he did not continue to cooperate with Stallone. This time, he received Weintraub's invitation and came immediately to discuss the matter.
"I need an ancient, oriental, melodious music, an ancient style that reminds people of Japan and China." After Ronald and Candy exchanged greetings, he asked him to take a look at the first time.
After cutting the film, you can get a preliminary impression, and then you can compose the music.
"I suggest using the panpipe," Conti thought for a while and said, "This musical instrument commonly used by Indians has a natural melodious and ancient charm."
Ronald thought for a while and completely agreed with the other party's idea. Indeed, Americans are not familiar with Japanese and Chinese music. An ancient instrument like the panpipe can bring an ancient feeling, which can achieve
own effect.
The two of them had discussed it, and Ronald asked what kind of atmospheric music he wanted to add to those passages, and Candy wrote it down one by one.
"Why do I feel like you already have a soundtrack in your head, and you just need me to write it out." Conti is a little strange. This kind of à la carte method of writing soundtracks is rare. Many times, film directors also
I don’t know how to communicate with the soundtrack, I just want to give a general description of the required music style.
"Haha, I'm very interested in the effect of music in movies. I once studied with Walter Mersey and know some techniques, so I thought about the required themes in advance and then communicated with you."
Kandi nodded. Indeed, this approach will make the score more targeted, and everyone will have a good basis for communication, and there will be no embarrassment of the director saying no when it is delivered.
"You really wish you were missing an interlude." Bill Conti calculated the requirements in his hand, and the last vocal interlude, which brought the atmosphere of the audience, was yet to be found. "Whose song are you going to use?"
Conti knows that this kind of interlude is usually filled with singles from already published singers.
"I don't have a clue yet. Do you have any recommendations? I need a song about a weak person's counterattack and finally accomplishing a heroic feat."
"Having said that, I suggest you find Joe Esposito. He has a song that was originally prepared for 'Rocky III', but Stallone didn't like it and chose another song." Conti thought of the past.
A singer I worked with said, "Of course, if you don't mind."
"I don't mind. If he is willing, can I invite him to talk about it?" Ronald doesn't have a special opinion. If Stallone doesn't like it, he can't use it? There is no such thing. It depends on whether the song suits the atmosphere of the movie.
"Okay, I'll call him." Bill Conti agreed, "Anyway, your movie is like a younger version of 'Rocky', both..."
"No, my story is a heroic epic, a story about an ordinary person who, after being guided by a master, worked hard to defeat his opponent. It's not like Rocky, who was originally a gangster boxer who collected protection money for the underworld. He did it to make money.
The resumption of boxing matches is a completely different theme from my movie."
Ronald hates when people say his story is like Stallone's "Rocky".
To be honest, although Stallone received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay for "Rocky", judging from his two screenwriting experiences with him, the Italian doesn't know much about screenwriting.
He had previously sent the script for "Rocky" to major studios for several years, but it was repeatedly rejected. In the final product, it is unclear how much he wrote himself and how much was found for him by United Artists
It's written by a popular hand.
What Stallone is very good at is using scripts to set off his "glorious image". In order to highlight himself, he will not hesitate to destroy the overall structure of the script.
This "big star" only cares about his own image! Ronald shook his head, he would not be similar to his script story.