The crew quickly built a public bathroom changing room scene using wood in the Miramar base, which originally had no large public bathroom. There are two halls, one large and one small, connected by a false door in the middle.
The large room is the lounge scene at the bathroom door. This is where the pilots change their clothes and tidy up their appearance in front of the full-length mirror.
The smaller room is more narrow and long, with metal lockers on both sides and a long wooden stool in the middle.
One side of the two halls is decorated to look real, while the other side is open and empty, allowing the camera crew to set up huge lenses and lighting equipment. The base staff who visited behind the cordon were very surprised why the bathroom was so empty.
Only half.
The first scene today is the first verbal confrontation between the two top pilots, Lone Ranger and Iceman.
The instructor "Joker" was experienced in dog fighting. The battle ended in five minutes and humiliated "Hollywood" and his radar officer "Werewolf" on the radio.
But the clown also suffered two defeats today. Iceman followed the tactics in the flight manual and defeated the instructor "Joker".
The "Lone Ranger" used a dangerous but effective strategy. When it was being followed by the clown, it suddenly pulled up, slowed down and landed behind the clown's plane, locking the clown with missiles.
Hollywood and Werewolf were lying on the bench in the middle laughing at themselves, while Iceman and Radar Officer Slider came over and casually revealed that they had defeated the instructor Joker.
The werewolf pointed to the Lone Ranger and Goose on the other side, "They also won."
"No, that's not the news we got. They committed a foul and ran below the prescribed height." Iceman turned to the Lone Ranger and contemptuously denied his achievement.
"The specified height is like farting," the Lone Ranger said in a foul language, "If you win, you win, we have locked the clown."
"cut!"
"Kilmer, you didn't go to the prescribed point and went out of the camera." Ronald called out to Fang Kilmer. This was the third time he made a mistake today.
"My question, sorry, I'm not used to entering the camera from this side."
Val Kilmer chewed gum, raised his chin, and explained to Ronald.
"Let's rest for a quarter of an hour."
Ronald looked at the scene and everyone was a little tired. Val Kilmer's "mistake" was not an unintentional mistake. He had to pause first and then think of a solution.
"Director, Kilmer's better half of his face is on the left side. He is used to walking on the right side of the screen. If you ask him to enter the scene from the left side of the viewfinder, it will not be very conducive to his performance..."
Seeing that everyone had gone to rest, Val Kilmer's manager quickly walked up to Ronald and said something that was not convenient for Kilmer to say.
"You don't need to say any more, I know what's going on."
The thing is very simple, this is the unspoken rule of star filming.
Val Kilmer wanted to use more close-ups to take care of the more handsome half of his face. But Tom Cruise, who is paid more than him and has a higher status than him, has the better-looking half of his face on the same side.
Of course, Ronald took care of Tom's interests first. Knowing that he was not good-looking in the camera, Val Kilmer played tricks and made various small situations, just to avoid photographing the worse half of his face.
"Kimmer is tired. He finished the beer party with everyone last night late. I will go and cheer him up. As long as you give me some convenience..." The manager gave Ronald a hint, as long as he can take care of him.
If Val Kilmer needs it, at least the two of them will have equal screen time, and Kilmer will be able to fully cooperate.
"Ronald, I don't need to say anything more. Tom has always been very cooperative with your work. Not to mention your personal relationship, he is still the top star of the crew. His name appears on the subtitles after the film title. I want
His shots are more beautiful, which is very reasonable."
Paula Wagner also came over and talked about their personal relationship.
"I know it well."
It's impossible to say who is right or wrong in this kind of thing. The key problem facing Ronald now is to make the two stars cooperate and continue filming.
Val Kilmer is very naughty. If he uses various accidents as excuses to slow down work, it is impossible for the producers to do anything to him. If he fails to get his way, there is no hope of making any progress today.
As for Tom Cruise, who has always been dedicated, Ronald would not be able to ask him to give up his leading role and give a supporting role better treatment. Moreover, even if he made such a request, given Cruise's current status, I am afraid that
It was his turn to make a "mistake".
"At times like this, I miss Don so much," Bruckheimer said next to him. Don Simpson had a fiery personality and was outspoken. At times like this, if he was on the set, he would definitely curse at Val Kilmer.
"Yeah." Ronald knew that Bruckheimer wanted to play the "good policeman", so it would be inappropriate for him to step in. After all, the director's position requires cooperation with the actors.
At this time, there is one less "bad cop".
"How about I give it a try?" Bruckheimer scratched his scalp and prepared to do it himself.
"I still have an idea, let's try again." Ronald stopped him and pretended not to do it, but it had no effect.
…
"You set up the camera here." Ronald took out the storyboard he drew and crossed out the camera position originally arranged on the side of the stool. Then he drew a new cross opposite the Iceman's locker.
"In this way, you take a close-up shot of his face and ask him to turn his head from facing the locker box. Your lens can just capture the better half of his face."
"And then we do the same thing with the Lone Ranger?" Kimball took the pencil and made changes to the next frame of the storyboard.
"Yes, to show the dialogue, it is not necessary to take the main shot and explain the spatial relationship between the two."
Ronald deleted the original Hollywood standard technique of "one main and two over-the-shoulder shots" from the picture, and then drew several consecutive close-ups.
"As long as we ensure that the close-up shots of the two of them keep the axis of their gazes intact, there should be no difficulty for the audience to understand the logical relationship between their dialogue."
"It's really yours. How did you come up with the idea? I only heard an old photographer say that this method was used in Hollywood in the golden age."
"This is to prevent the studio boss from randomly editing the story without shooting the main shot. The directors of the year invented the anti-interference shooting method. Walter Murch taught me."
Ronald smiled. In the golden age of Hollywood, studios pursued speed rather than artistic standards. They often used unrelated people to edit the director's negatives. It was not uncommon for the finished film to be completely different from the original intention.
Some directors at that time invented this method of not shooting the main shot and only shooting close-ups of the dialogue. Without the main shot, the audience cannot see the logical relationship between the characters in the dialogue, and the editing must strictly follow the director's design.
Cut, there is no room for secondary creation to change the tragic ending into a happy ending.
"That's because we didn't use live recording at that time and had to change the lines during dubbing later." Kimball knew his stuff. "I didn't expect you could use it to prevent celebrities from stealing the scene. Your method might become popular in the future.
Maybe."
"action!"
After preparing the new footage, Ronald called start.
"You two are really cowboy style!"
Iceman, played by Val Kilmer, turned around and angrily scolded the pair after hearing the swear words spoken by the Lone Ranger.
Ronald looked from behind the camera and saw that the better half of Val Kilmer's face looked very handsome to the camera, while the other half looked a bit fierce and like a bad guy.
No wonder he cares so much about that side of his face.
"cut!"
"Print this one," Ronald asked Val Kilmer to move on to the next one.
"What's wrong with you, Kazansky?" Tom Cruise said to Kilmer off camera.
"That's because you're everyone's problem, Lone Ranger, and you make everyone else feel insecure." Val Kilmer faced the camera alone, raising his chin, chewing gum as he spoke, very domineering, and then his teeth
It bit the air and made a clicking sound, like a big cat about to eat people.
"cut!"
This line is full of gunpowder, and Val Kilmer made a bit of a pun. It is not only Iceman's complaint against the Lone Ranger, but it can also be understood as Val Kilmer's complaint against Tom Cruise.
The good thing about using close-ups to express dialogue like this is that the annoying face of the Iceman will definitely resonate with the audience. As long as the Lone Ranger can fight back, the audience will definitely applaud.
The bad part is that Iceman's performance is very good. He looks at Tom Cruise, which is not a big challenge for Tom.
Tom's eyes were fixed on Fang Kilmer and his brows were slightly furrowed, like a falcon staring at its prey.
"It won't cause a big conflict, right?" Ronald felt a little bad.
Actors are very sensitive to the camera. Val Kilmer's performance just now was impressive, and Tom Cruise will not fail to feel it. He must have a design to surpass Val Kilmer.
"Ronald, I want to use an over-the-shoulder lens. You can make me look less..." While resting and waiting for relighting, Cruise made a stroke on the height of Ronald's chin.
"Are you sure?" Ronald knew that this was a close-up shot. If an over-the-shoulder shot were used, Cruise's face and the back of Val Kilmer's shoulders would appear in the shot, and his height difference would be revealed.
.
"I need him to stand in the camera." Tom Cruise's eyes were firm.
"You see?" Ronald asked director of photography Kimball.
"It doesn't matter, I can use some overhead shots. There is no reference object in the close-up shot, and the audience will feel that there is very little difference in their height." Kimball came up with various little tricks one after another.
"Thanks, Kimball," Cruise thanked the director of photography and gave Paula a look.
"Tell me when you're ready," Ronald nodded to Tom Cruise.
"action!"
The camera passed behind Val Kilmer's shoulder and put the good-looking half of Tom Cruise's face into the frame.
The slightly downward shot makes the two appear to be only about an inch apart in height.
"What's wrong with you, Kazansky?" Tom Cruise gritted his teeth.
"I don't like you, you make everyone feel insecure," Val Kilmer repeated the conversation.
"That's right", Tom Cruise improvised, patted Val Kilmer's shoulder, as if to help him flick the ashes, and gave an evil smile, "I am...very...dangerous!
"It's like another big cat teasing its prey.
"cut!"
Tom Cruise's lines also have a double meaning. If you want to steal the scene, you must be prepared to compete. Then it's not just about competition in acting. I'm very "dangerous".
Ronald was very satisfied with this rivalry scene. The two were at war with each other. In the camera, they looked like two high school students fighting for a beautiful woman, and like two little roosters patrolling their hens.
"Okay, okay", Ronald called the two stars who were still kicking each other apart after stopping. We have to clear the scene to shoot a shirtless scene later, so you should go and take a rest first.
"Humph!" Val Kilmer turned and entered the dressing room.
"I'll invite you all to the bar for a drink tonight, and I'll bring craft beer from Los Angeles." Tom Cruise extended an invitation to everyone.
"Yeah!" All the supporting characters cheered.
"The venue is being cleared now, and irrelevant personnel are asked to exit the shooting location."
In the large hall where the scene was set up, the assistant director shouted three times in a row. Many female technicians on the crew, female officers and soldiers at the Miramar base who came to see the excitement after hearing the news, waitresses at the bar, etc., all turned around every step of the way.
, reluctantly and slowly left the locker room.
"Isn't it said that there is a scene of Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer taking a bath? Why hasn't it come out yet?"
"Director, it's cleared."
"Okay," Ronald stood up slowly, "The camera crew is ready."
The focus puller was also a woman. She happily picked up the measuring tape, walked to the row of benches in the dressing room, put a cross mark with tape, and happily waited for the protagonists to come out of the dressing room.
"action!"
Apart from photography, recording, and lighting, the only people present at the scene were Ronald and the heroine McGillis, who specially watched the men's "group bathing" performance.
"Lone Ranger, you flew very well today. Until you are shot down by me, never, never leave your wingman." The actor who played the Joker came in and gave Tom Cruise a lesson.
The Lone Ranger played by Tom Cruise was very sulky with himself. In order to shoot down the instructor "Viper", he left the wingman pilot "Hollywood" and the radar operator "Werewolf" without authorization, and was finally shot down by the ambushed instructor "Joker".
The camera was pushed out on a fixed track, drew an arc, and captured the panoramic view.
After the camera reached the end point, Ronald silently pointed at the door to the bathroom, and Val Kilmer walked out from inside, wearing only a towel around his waist.
Fang Kilmer's muscular upper body was bare, and his muscles were explosive and beautiful. On his chest was a dog tag with the name of the pilot, dangling on his chest muscles.
"Lone Ranger, this is not a matter of your flying skills, but of your attitude. The enemy is dangerous, and your attitude makes you even more dangerous as a wingman than the enemy."
The camera continued to turn around to capture the figure of the lone ranger.
Tom Cruise smoothed his hair, and a few drops of sweat dripped from it. He was also shirtless, with one foot on the stool, and the white bath towel tied around his waist was stretched to the limit.
"cut!"
Ronald looked at McGillis next to him. Female viewers should like this kind of shot very much.
McGillis took an ice cream and took a lick, "Is this what you learned from that men's magazine?" He gave him a look that looked at his best friend, as if to say, you are like this Ronald, no wonder you were like that last time.
Not in a hurry.
"Hey, hey..." Ronald quickly announced to continue filming. This woman really could speak with her eyes.
After the filming was completed that day, the costume assistant began to use the laundry box to collect the actors' bath towels one by one.
"Will you go to the bar with us? Today I brought you some good beer." Tom Cruise walked up to McGillis and invited him.
This woman is the only beautiful actress on the crew. The actors all have a male instinct and want to date McGillis.
"Okay, let me try it." McGillis glanced at Ronald and accepted the invitation.
"Let's go," Val Kilmer won the camera, but lost to Tom Cruise in picking up girls, and walked out with his manager.
"Have you noticed that either Kilmer drinks beer with everyone, or Cruise drinks beer with everyone, but they never drink beer together." Photography director Kimball came over and reported to Ronald.
Immediately, he packed up his equipment and went to the bar with the photography team.
"There are benefits to maintaining a moderate level of competitiveness." Ronald was very satisfied with the shots taken today. "As long as you master it well and don't go out of style."