Chapter 5 The explosive opening of the future star
"Coming, Ronald?"
That night, Joel Silver was on the top floor of the Fox Building waiting for the start of the new movie "Nothing Lasts Forever (working title)". He was a little fat and didn't want to join the fun on the set.
However, Ronald told him that the secret to being a producer is to observe the ability and cooperation of the director and actors on the set on the first day. If everything is OK, then there is no need to watch them every day.
"Yeah, it's not too late, right?" Ronald just arrived at the scene after chatting with his colleagues in New York about the marketing work of "Moonlight". He and the man who had already put on makeup played the role of the villain Hans Krug.
Alan Rickman, who plays Bob, and Bonnie Bedelia, who plays the protagonist's wife, said hello, and they both looked ready.
Ronald always remembered Roger Corman's principle, on the first day of shooting, to confirm the director's quality. If there are no problems, then don't show up on the set too often, otherwise the cast and crew will be confused about who they are.
It was the boss who had the final say who misunderstood.
The role of the producer is to stay behind. If there are no problems, it is best not to let the camera crew discover his existence. But when there are problems, he should be able to come out and solve them immediately.
"Where's Bruce?" Ronald looked around, only to see director John McTiernan and director of photography John de Bont working on the lighting, but he just missed the actor Bruce Willi.
Si, so asked Joel Silver, who has been here for a while.
"His assistant called back half an hour ago and said Bruce had come out of the MGM studio in Culver City and was heading to the Fox Tower."
"Oh", Ronald looked at his watch, it should be almost here.
The filming of the "Blue Moonlight" TV series is still going on. Bruce Willis still needs to work back and forth between the two sets in the past two days. After two days, he can be here full time.
"What are we shooting today?" Ronald asked the stage manager, took the shooting schedule and started looking at it.
Tonight is the first day of filming. The main character, John McClain, is on the rooftop of a building. In order to avoid being killed by a bomb detonated by Hans Krupp, he wraps a fire hose around his body and jumps from the rooftop.
Go down and escape.
"Why shoot such a big scene on the first day?" Ronald didn't understand. Joel Silver didn't seem to understand either. He shrugged and pointed at director John McTiernan.
Generally speaking, on the first day of shooting, the usual approach is to shoot some easy shots to let the actors get into the mood quickly. Or if you are a big director, you specially choose a scene that requires high acting skills and "torture" those scenes.
Celebrities, keep them tame and know you are not easy to fool.
But like this, on the first day of shooting a scene that didn't require much acting, but put very high demands on the stunt team, Ronald couldn't figure out why.
Such a shot requires some cooperation between the stunt team, the cinematographer, and the starring actors before the shooting effect is better. Otherwise, if the stunt actors and the starring actors do not have a tacit understanding, the shot may not look like the body shape, and a lot of money is wasted.
The explosion scene came out.
However, Ronald did not directly challenge it, especially since he is also a director himself.
Every director has his own working style. If he asked such a question, he would be distrustful of John McTiernan.
"John, is everything okay? Is there anything we need to improve on?" Ronald walked over, intending to chat with director McTiernan.
"Ah, Ronald. Everything is fine. This is my director of photography, Jan de Bont, a Dutch photography talent."
"Hello, Yang," Ronald waved to the handsome director of photography, who was adjusting the camera position on the stand.
"Hello Ronald, this is really exciting, isn't it?" Jan de Bont was very happy to see that it was the producer. He had previously worked with Dutch director Paul Verhoeven and was excited to be in
It’s very exciting to be in a major Hollywood commercial film.
"The conditions you provided were first-rate and the filming was great fun..."
"Looks good?" Ronald chatted with the director of photography for a while, then turned back to the director to continue chatting. He also wanted to lead the conversation to shooting a big scene right after shooting. It was best to let the director talk on his own.
"It's very good. It's rare for me to work with a producer who is a director and knows how to shoot a movie. You are really a blessing to me. I have never enjoyed such creative freedom on a set. It turns out that you are the one who knows the director's production best."
Filmmaker." The director liked Ronald's hands-off attitude very much.
"Uh..." Ronald was choked by John McTiernan's flattery and couldn't say what he originally wanted to say.
"It's a big scene when filming starts? It seems I'm lucky. I can see one of the most exciting scenes in the movie on the first day I came to the set." Ronald changed his approach and reminded the other party.
"Hahaha, this is a design consideration. Only by filming this scene from the beginning can we have the initiative."
"Then I'll wait and see, I won't disturb you anymore." When Ronald heard this answer, it turned out that John McTiernan had special considerations. Fortunately, he didn't say anything, and Ronald walked towards the back of the camera.
"Bruce is here," Ronald was reminded by Joel Silver next to him as soon as he exited the shooting circle.
Bruce Willis was still wearing the iconic top and top hat from "Blue Moonlight". Behind him was a manager and an assistant, who strode in staggeringly.
"Hey, Ronald, I'm not late, am I? It's really hard to shoot from both sides."
"Of course not, we are here early. Please take the time to rest and I will watch your performance when the camera is turned on." Of course Ronald could only say words of encouragement. The most fearful thing for an actor who is on the set to compete with others is that he is not in a good mood.
Well, it affects the shooting a lot.
"Just watch my performance. Today is a big event. You will know Bruce's ability. I also asked Demi to come to my performance. Is she here? Demi?"
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! "She just called and said she would be there soon. We will notify you as soon as she arrives." Joel Silver immediately continued.
"Very good, I'm going to put on makeup first. Demi doesn't know how brave a man he is yet. Today is a good opportunity to show it off." Bruce Willis walked towards his dressing room.
"What big scene? There won't be any scene for him today, right? Two close-ups of reaction shots at most, and the makeup time will be longer?" Ronald was confused and picked up the shooting plan again and started looking at it.
It is clearly written above that in today’s scene, only a long stunt shot of jumping off a building is the highlight. Bruce Willis only had a face-showing shot of wrapping fire hose around himself, and then a stunt double jumped from the rooftop on his behalf.
On another platform below, there is an inflatable mattress to catch him.
"Television actors, you know, they don't understand film shooting," Joel Silver thought to Ronald with a wink.
Indeed, TV dramas rarely shoot such big scenes, and Bruce Willis might not even understand how to shoot such an explosion and jumping scene in a movie.
"I'm going to take a rest first." Ronald looked around and found that his role today was producer, and a chair without his name on it was vacant and waiting for him.
With a self-deprecating smile, Ronald simply sat on an apple box, closed his eyes and rested his mind. After a busy day, it was time to take a break.
"Ronald, Ronald...Where's Bruce? Where are the others?"
A woman's voice came, waking Ronald up from his state of resting with his eyes closed.
Ronald opened his eyes and saw a black-haired beauty with a wavy hairstyle just a few inches away from him. Her shrewd eyes and sexy lips almost made Ronald lose his mind.
"Demi, are you here?" Ronald stood up from the apple box, "Bruce was putting on makeup just now, and the crew just finished lighting, and they are all preparing now...Bruce also said that he wanted you to see his makeup tonight.
Brave state..."
"Hahaha", Demi Moore laughed so hard that Bruce Willis liked to say some vulgar words to flirt. This is what Willis likes to say in person to show his conquest of Demi.
Her eyes were wandering. Speaking of bravery, the one in front of her seemed to be stronger. Although on the surface he showed more of a scholar-like temperament, after taking off his clothes, he was actually very muscular.
The two of them walked side by side toward the dressing room. Demi and Ronald kept a little distance. The relationship between the two seemed to have retreated from the state of a special relationship to one where they could talk about personal things, but they were deliberately
Avoid ambiguous flirting.
"Hey, Demi, look at me... don't blink until then." Bruce Willis was dressed as a predator. He was barefoot, wearing a pair of pants, and his upper body was naked except for a gun belt.
Holding a submachine gun.
Ronald stood and looked at his outfit. The makeup made some red syrup on his body, and with a few streaks of black carbon black, the image of a lonely hero who had gone through a hard battle suddenly emerged.
"No problem." Ronald nodded. This kind of makeup shows that the director has good control over the makeup, costumes, and props team, and there is no problem with the expressiveness of the picture. Moreover, these details need to be consistent in each shot, without being confusing, which shows that the director has good control over the scene notes.
, the photography and other teams are also well managed.
As soon as an expert takes action, he will know how high the level is.
Ronald looked at his watch. He felt that the director had passed his approval. After watching a few scenes of Bruce Willis as a courtesy, it would be no problem to watch the scene of the stunt double jumping off the building. He could go back and enjoy it.
Go to sleep, I have to fly to New York tomorrow.
"Nothing lasts forever, first scene, first shot." The scribe began to announce the scene, and with a "pop" sound, the slate was laid down.
"Action!" director John McTiernan begins filming.
Bruce Willis walked into the camera barefoot, slung the submachine gun on his body, then opened the iron box labeled "For Fire Brigade Only" and pulled out the red turntable wrapped with white fire hose.
"Ah..." Bruce Willis roared angrily, and then began to pull the fire hose hard, causing the red turntable to spin. When Willis saw that the hose was long enough, he pulled the fire hydrant and moved to the other side.
While walking.
"John...what the hell are you doing here?"
Bruce Willis walked to a corner of the rooftop and wrapped the fire hose around himself.
The camera began to move closer to him, and the director of photography, Jan de Bont, waved his hand with satisfaction.
The assistant next to him began to use an iron fan to blow air on Bruce Willis's body, and a white mist that looked like water vapor caused by dry ice blew in that direction.
"Why are you so fucking unlucky?"
Bruce Willis continued to curse and talk to himself. When he was blown by the cold wind, the air he exhaled turned into white mist, which was more in line with the Christmas atmosphere in the movie.
"Cut!"
The director stopped the filming, and after checking with the director of photography, he said that this rule was passed.
"Pa bang bang..." Ronald took the lead and started to applaud.
"Pa bang bang..." Everyone started to applaud together.
Ronald looked at director John McTiernan's smile and Bruce Willis' silly smile and smiled himself. Both of them made the right choice!
Bruce Willis's silly blue-collar temperament is completely true to his character. It fits the role of John McClain perfectly. McClain didn't want to be involved in such a terrorist incident, he just came to find his wife.
For Christmas.
After taking off his shoes, having to step over broken glass, and escaping from an exploding elevator, etc., he is now on his last adventure. If he succeeds, he can rescue all the hostages including his wife.
.
The audience will like this kind of unlucky real heroes. This is a common scene in their daily work life. They are very unlucky (at least they think they are unlucky), curse and continue to work hard, and finally there will be a Christmas with the whole family reunited.
.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! "Very well, put on makeup, put on put on, quickly touch up Bruce's makeup. Stunts, stunts, set up explosives immediately, everyone, please pay attention, the area is cleared, the area is cleared."
Director John McTiernan waited for the applause led by Ronald to end and immediately began directing preparations for the next stunt shot.
Several stuntmen in charge of the explosion came over and placed plastic bags containing liquids in different places on the roof.
Ronald knew that there was gasoline in it, and all kinds of dangerous goods were in the hands of professionals. The arrangement was effective but not too dangerous. The stunt double was a member of the trade union, and there was no problem with his skills.
"What is this?" Bruce Willis stayed at the scene, holding Demi Moore in his arms and showing off his acting skills. A person from the special effects team came over and smeared a lot of plaster-like stuff on his body.
Then spread it with your hands.
"This is a fireproof plaster to prevent you from being burned by the flames exploding behind you when you jump."
"What is this?" Bruce Willis picked a little with his fingers and smelled it. It had a bit of a smell, but he knew it was to protect himself. He wiped it on himself in disgust, and then wiped it on Demi's body.
a little.
Before Demi Moore could flirt with him, Willis found his girlfriend, Demi Moore, making a hand gesture to producer Ronald, "What is this?"
"I don't know..." Ronald also panicked. What is this? Bruce Willis is the leading actor? How could he be allowed to shoot the scene of jumping off a building?
The movie he made is not a real action movie, it’s not Stallone’s style of punching the flesh. I chose Bruce Willis because of his temperament, not because of his strong action ability.
"What is this? Hey, John, Joel, what is this?" Ronald couldn't care less about saving the director's face. He walked over and asked the director John McTiernan loudly.
"This is the most exciting shot? What else could it be?" Director John McTiernan felt strange.
"I'm asking why Willis shot it himself, but a stunt double was required for such stunt shots."
"Ronald, Willis and I have already negotiated. He is willing to star in the explosion and jumping off the building scenes. He understands the risks involved, and he can also complete this kind of scene, allowing the director and starring actors to feel artistic, and also
remember?"
Ronald looked back at Demi Moore, who was walking over, and Bruce Willis, who had already applied fireproof material.
"Yes, I am willing to take it myself. It is nothing, a very simple shot. I often take this kind of shot on the TV station..."
"Ronald, what is this? You can't let Bruce take risks..." Demi Moore was anxious. This is a life-threatening shooting. She has always made movies and knows that the scenes in movies are real, not TV series.
That kind of shooting can fool you. Her boyfriend Bruce Willis still doesn't understand what he is about to face.
Bruce Willis is very satisfied with his girlfriend's concern for him, but he can't show a hint of timidity in front of Ronald. Demi likes her bravery, but she can't do it with Ronald, the most masculine person present (
In front of people other than himself, he loses his biggest attraction to Demi.
"Hey, I'm a professional action actor. Are you looking down on me, Demi? Relax, it's a small scene."
Ronald knew that this was director John McTiernan's trick. It was impossible for him not to know the danger of such an action, but Bruce Willis, who had never filmed such an action scene, was okay.
Ronald looked at McTiernan, his eyes shining brightly, staring into each other's eyes, "I don't like people playing tricks..."
"No one is doing any tricks, Ronald, I'm going to be filming soon," John McTiernan said, making a sign to leave.
"Ronald", Joel Silver came over and pulled Ronald. He didn't know much about filming, but he knew something was wrong from Ronald's angry eyes.
"We'd better wait and see first. If now...it will be detrimental to the safety of the shooting."
"Do you want me to be ruined like John Landis?" Ronald was pulled away, and he glanced at Silver. Landis, the director who filmed "The Twilight Zone" back then, just didn't pay attention to the safety of the filming.
, which eventually led to actor Vic Morrow being beheaded by a helicopter. Not to mention that all his family property was lost, and no major mainstream commercial production came to him again.
"Don't be like this. The special effects team I hired this time is the best in Hollywood. They are very professional. Although I don't know how to shoot, they still attach great importance to safety. No one wants to fall into the trap of John Landis.
That point”
Ronald shook his head, "You don't understand. The safety of special effects shots requires not only the arrangement of the team, but also the experience of the actors themselves. This is a shooting scene that requires redundancy. Willis has never acted in action scenes before. He
I don’t know much about this. I’m just worried about getting hurt if I fall.”
Ronald was in Xiangjiang, but he had seen many of Jackie Chan's martial arts filming. They showed no fear at the dinner table. In fact, they were doing it so as not to lose face during the filming. Every year, Jackie Chan's filming team has
death indicator.
But now that I don’t know about this arrangement in person in advance, and now I express my objection at the last moment, it will have an impact on the mentality of everyone from the director to the actors. Maybe it was fine originally, but if I think too much and hesitate, something will happen.
Ronald stood in the corner, biting his lip, and was in a dilemma. He had never been so miserably deceived on a set.
"Fortunately, we have enough insurance, don't be nervous... Even if something happens to him, the insurance company will pay, unlike Landis... Hey, what are you going to do?" Joel Silver was about to say
Continuing to explain, he suddenly noticed Ronald's glare, and he was frightened and stopped talking.
This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading! "Ronald, will Bruce be okay?" Demi Moore was also very nervous, and couldn't help grabbing Ronald's arm and hugging him hard, as if this man
It will give her some courage, keep reading.
"Special effects department? Prepare for the countdown..."
"Camera No. 1?"
"full speed!"
"Camera Two?"
"full speed!"
…
Director John McTiernan starts calling the shots.
The pyrotechnicians of the special effects team began to prepare for the explosion.
"Action!"
With an order, Bruce Willis climbed onto the railing of the rooftop. He held the pillar with both hands and checked the fire hose tied to his body again. "God, don't let me die here..."
Then he looked back and shouted "Ah..."
Photographers from multiple cameras nervously grabbed the shirtless actor Bruce Willis to prevent him from running out of the frame.
"Boom! Boom!..." The special effects team began to blast multiple blasting points on the rooftop.
"Boom..." The explosion ignited the plastic bag containing the accelerant, and the fire was full of life. Waves of heat waves came from the corners of the rooftop.
Ronald was far away and felt the amazing thrust of the heat wave.
"It's broken..." Ronald felt that this special effect was too much. The thrust added to Bruce Willis's body might make him move forward more distance when he jumped from the building, deviating from the other two floors below.
An air mattress on a platform.
Ronald and others looked at Bruce Willis with regret in their hearts.
I saw Bruce Willis closing his eyes, gritting his teeth, shaking his legs, and jumped off the railing.
"SHXT!" Ronald yelled, and immediately rushed downstairs before the director told him to stop.
No matter what he was worried about, it turned out that after Bruce Willis jumped out of the rooftop, he was severely pushed forward by the blast of air.
"Bruce..." Demi Moore didn't know what was going on and ran after Ronald. Director John McTiernan knew something was wrong, so he also threw the headset and ran after him. Finally, the fat Joel
Silver, he was so out of breath from running that he almost fell down the stairs due to hypoglycemia.
"Huh...huh...wait for me..."
Silver, who was holding on to the wall and covered in sweat from fear, finally appeared on the platform below.
I saw that Bruce Willis hit the very edge of the air cushion. If he had missed it by one or two meters, he would have fallen out and died.
Ronald was in the inner circle, helping him up with the stunt team.
"Demi, Ronald, I told you earlier, look at my brave performance...hahahaha..."
Bruce Willis laughs his ass off.
"You scared me to death." Demi grabbed him, shaking with fear.
"It's okay, it's okay," Bruce Willis comforted his worried girlfriend, "I'm going to show you tonight who is the bravest man in Hollywood."
"Of course it's you." Demi Moore couldn't stand this, so her boyfriend became the most heroic person and gave her a passionate kiss.
"Well done!" All the people present applauded Bruce Willis.
"Phew, it's okay...Ronald, I didn't lie to you, it's okay...I'm pretty sure." Director John McTiernan, who was almost frightened to death, also breathed a sigh of relief.
"Hmph... I'm sure, why did you shoot the first scene of this scene?" Ronald glared, "All the subsequent jumps, explosions, and all dangerous shots will be done by the stand-in."
"What a diehard, Die Hard." Alan Rickman, who played the villain, came down with everyone and saw Bruce Willis' heroic performance. He was also very impressed and praised.
"What?" Ronald didn't hear clearly.
"I say he is Die Hard, the kind of person who never gives up."