Chapter 68: Two reversals and multiple satisfying endings
"This is the boat of the Hudson River Yacht Charter Company. We asked the captain to drive it out. We can chat slowly on the sea without being disturbed."
In order to avoid the ever-present supervision of the Writers Guild, Ronald found a medium-sized yacht, brought some food on board, and drove out of the World Trade Center Pier.
After leaving the supervising screenwriter on the pier, he diverted the ship to Brookfield Plaza Pier and picked up Cameron Crowe who was waiting there. The ship sailed past the island where the Statue of Liberty is located, and on the sea
Wandering on.
"Why is the Writers Guild now starting to intensify its strike again? I was at my apartment on Fifth Avenue and saw that the door to the NBC building was blocked by writers again." Cameron Crowe picked up Ronald's bag
The takeaway from the Swedish restaurant Aquavit is full of unspectacular but delicious food.
"A few days ago, the Producers Union invited the federal government's official mediator to participate in negotiations. The few lawyer clowns in charge of negotiations from the Writers Guild started their performances again, trying to increase pressure on us on television."
Ronald shook his head. Negotiations between the two parties have been deadlocked for several weeks. According to federal law, it has reached the threshold for any party to apply for a federal special mediator. With an official mediator, the labor and management parties must sit down and discuss the matter.
Negotiations shall be conducted under his auspices and shall not leave without reason.
Ronald took out rye bread, tuna and salmon salad, hash browns, ham, and candied butter from the box, set a table, opened two bottles of light beer, and chatted with his old friend Gram
Luo started to eat.
"Now the three major TV stations have exhausted their TV drama scripts, and all evening TV dramas have been changed to reruns..." Crowe also felt it was a bit outrageous. He was just thinking about returning to Hollywood, but he didn't expect to encounter such a thing.
"The film industry is almost in a bad situation. The revision and creation of scripts are prohibited. I think if this continues, there will be a large number of imported films next year."
After eating and having a brunch, the two began to discuss the ending of the movie.
"Billy Wilder-style multiple climaxes must have a false ending to make the audience mistakenly think that this is the ending they are expecting, and then turn over again and have a warm ending, just when they think the movie should end here.
"
Cameron Crowe drew a wavy line on the cardboard, combined it with some of Billy Wilder's most famous movies, and told Ronald the method he came up with.
"What you mean is to change the original ending. Tess proved that she was the original idea of acquiring the radio station, defeated Catherine, restored her innocence, and was hired by Mr. Teske on the spot. She got a job in Teske
An entry-level job in the company as a false ending?" Ronald asked as he took a bite of hash brown.
"Yes, this is the natural ending of the storyline. The audience will not be defensive. They will not know that this is a false ending when they watch it." Crowe said the key to the false ending is to make the audience invested. If they watch
If it turns out that this is not the real ending plot, then their investment will be much lower, and the effect of the false ending will be gone.
This is also the reason why everyone can see Billy Wilder's tricks on the screen, but few can imitate them very closely.
"Tess, this false ending is the ending of the workplace story, but Tess also has an emotional story. Whether she and Jack Traynor can become a couple, we have to make Tess and Jack fall in love as the false aftertaste after the false ending.
.”
Ronald felt that what Cameron Crowe said made sense. In this script, Tess actually had two main story lines. One was the career line, which was eliminated in the fake ending, and the other love line was added with a fake ending.
After all, the key is how to satisfy the audience.
"What do you think women of Tess's level are most afraid of?" Ronald asked Crowe after taking a sip of light beer.
"I think I'm afraid of meeting an unreliable man." Crowe clinked beers with him, "So in this place, we want to make the audience feel at ease. Jack is Tess's most suitable partner. They really love each other.
of."
"Married women, what is the most romantic thing in their minds?" Ronald asked the already married Cameron Crowe. If this is the case, then this plot cannot have Tess and Jack as planned.
The kiss is over, but we need a romance that makes even female viewers with stable relationships feel real.
"I probably prepared breakfast for her and helped her pack the clothes and snacks she needed for the tour..." Cameron Crowe's wife is a rock singer, and his face is quite sweet when he talks about it.
"Tess went to work in the new company on her first day. We asked Jack to prepare everything for her..." Ronald looked at Crowe. This guy is not the most handsome guy. He can pick up Nancy.
She is still married to him. This kind of small romantic tenderness must be very important in the eyes of women who need stability.
…
Cameron Crowe quickly wrote a revised version of the ending. Ronald and he took a rest on the deck looking at the scenery, and then went back to continue revising.
"We have tried many methods for the true ending, but I always feel that it is still not impactful enough. What kind of plot after Tess goes to work can make the audience feel unfinished and meaningful?"
The so-called Billy Wilder-style ending has this kind of charm. It is not long, but it allows the audience to completely release the emotions accumulated in the false ending and aftertaste through the true ending.
When I read the ending of Billy Wilder's play, I always have the urge to watch the sequel immediately.
"What do you think is the most uncomfortable and aggrieved episode for a woman working as a secretary after reading the previous episodes?" Crowe asked Ronald what he thought in turn.
"Hmph... You asked the right person. I found Theresa, a former Wall Street secretary, to teach Melanie Griffiths how to behave as a secretary. Instead of us guessing here, why don't we
Just come to her and ask her."
The yacht sailed to Chelsea Pier, where sailing and water skiing are available for tourists and enthusiasts. Theresa played with her son here, and Ronald found Theresa through her husband.
When the yacht arrived, Theresa and her family were already waiting at the pier.
Teresa's son was very cute and was not afraid at all when he got on the boat. He ran back and forth and quickly got his hair wet.
"What a healthy boy!" Ronald grabbed him, touched the back of his head, and quickly calmed down.
"Thank you, Ronald. He likes boats very much. David and I are considering letting him take sailing as a hobby." Theresa Kate now lives a happy life, and the distress of her former secretary is no longer visible on her face. "I see.
He likes you very much, and you will definitely be a good father when you have children in the future."
"In addition to catching up with you, I also want to hear your opinion on something." Ronald told her why he came to her. "Can you help me think about it, which of Tess's plots made you most frustrated?
"
"Ha... no need to think about it, Tess is the epitome of us secretaries. What we hate most is managers who don't treat us as equals.
They always think that our secretaries have no knowledge and are inferior to others. Everything is divided into different levels. Secretaries can only call them sir and madam, but they can call us by our first names.
As for asking us to do trivial tasks that are not part of the scope of work, such as making coffee, picking up the children, and lining up to buy popular products for them, it seems to be a matter of course."
Ronald's eyes sparkled, and this was an "enlightenment" moment for him.
Tess, who was originally a "working girl", is a typical working woman who strives for herself. If she relied on her unremitting efforts and her adventurous spirit to seize the opportunity, she was favored by God once and was promoted to the position of manager, and then she immediately faded into
Without people like Catherine, what’s the point of this story?
What the audience wants to see is not only the fact that Tess replaced Catherine and succeeded in becoming a manager. They also want to see her traditional American hardworking, adventurous, and good-natured character, which is better than the selfishness that makes people sad.
Disgusting professional figure.
…
The filming of the movie has entered the last week, and Sigourney Weaver and Harrison Ford have completed their roles.
Tess was fired by Catherine. Xin told all the secretaries in the office about the injustice Tess had suffered. They donated some money to Tess so that she could eat well to adjust her mood and tide over the difficulties before finding a job.
.
Tess is ready to change cities and continue her life. Find a new place, learn lessons, don't take everything too seriously, and have a sense of humor. Tess firmly believes that her path is right and she doesn't need a man to save herself.
Taking a cardboard box, packed her belongings, and finally put the stuffed rabbit in, Tess got off the elevator. At this time, Mr. Teske, Catherine, who took over Tess's job, and Jack Teske
Together with Reina, they happened to walk into the gate of the World Trade Center, and they wanted to complete the finishing work of the entire acquisition transaction.
Tess was hit by someone and her things were scattered on the floor. Jack came over to help him tidy up and blamed Tess for not answering the phone. He wanted to find her and figure out the whole thing.
Tess talked about her own difficulties. As a secretary, she was discriminated against everywhere. If she came to Jack to discuss the merger and acquisition plan as a secretary, she would not be treated seriously.
At this time, Catherine came over to laugh at Tess again, and teased her about whether she had stolen something from someone else in her cardboard box again.
Tess, who was very angry, made a final struggle to fight back, for herself, and for the merger case.
After she entered the elevator at Teske, she pointed out a key flaw in the merger and acquisition case. If not handled properly, the merger and acquisition case would not achieve the expected results.
Teske had no prejudice against Tess, ignored Catherine's nonsense, jumped out of the elevator, and went into another movie with Jack, who stood by Tess's side, and carefully asked where the flaws were.
It turns out that Metro Radio mainly relies on a comedy host, and he recently got married. If the contract is not settled properly, Metro Radio will never spend more than 60 million US dollars.
Mr. Teske, who believed Tess's story, also asked what was going on between her and Catherine. He did not believe that Tess, who knew more about the merger and acquisition case than Catherine, was the plagiarist.
Encouraged by Jack, Tess finally took out the newspaper clipping she had collected with a photo of Olympia Dukakis, and told Mr. Teske what inspired her to think of acquiring a radio network instead of a television network.
It turns out that the personal page above contains the engagement announcement of Teske's daughter and reports on her charity activities. Above the entertainment section is the report of the funny radio host.
"I was thinking, Teske, radio station, radio station, Teske, and it struck me that it would be a good deal if they got together. And then I found Jack, and Jack found Metro Radio, and then we found
you."
After Teske got out of the elevator, he found Catherine and asked him to tell her what was the inspiration for the merger and acquisition transaction. Not many people would have thought of asking Teske to acquire a radio station instead of a TV station.
Catherine hesitated and couldn't speak, and asked Jack for help but was rejected. Everyone saw through that she was the one who plagiarized the idea, and was fired by Teske on the spot. Tess was asked to consider whether she could accept a junior position and work for herself.
Work.
The two main actors were packed up for filming, and Ronald asked them to go to the "Lutes" French restaurant, which is the most acclaimed French restaurant in the Upper East Side. Everyone enjoyed an expensive dinner of US$200 per person, and Harrison
Ford expressed his gratitude for the filming process with Ronald. Compared with going out to high-end restaurants for dinner every now and then, he was very satisfied.
"I'm looking forward to the finale," Melanie Griffiths had her last scene, she came out and said to Ronald. Melanie and the Wall Street banker were breaking up, and she tried to control it.
myself, no longer addicted to alcohol and drugs.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! "This is the script, please prepare it."
Melanie Griffiths took two pages of the script, read it quickly, and then opened her mouth in surprise.
…
"This is Amy Aquino, she will play your opponent in the last scene." Ronald introduced to Griffith the actor who played her opponent in the final true ending scene.
"Hello, Melanie" stars Amy Aquino, a Broadway theater actress who was temporarily hired to play Tess's new colleague.
After everyone had been filming for several weeks and everyone had achieved a rare tacit understanding, it was very difficult for any actor to be asked to play the last scene. So Ronald found a veteran of the theater stage.
"I brought some salad, it's from Lutes restaurant, we can eat it together during our break." Melanie Griffiths has a very good attitude towards her rival actors.
"Thank you, I have never made a movie before, this is my first time." Amy Aquino is average-looking, with long curly black hair, and looks fairly confident.
"Get ready, we'll start in half an hour." Ronald asked someone to come over and inform them to get ready.
"action!"
Tess walked in from the outside, and the front desk at the door told her that, as before, her location was at the innermost corner.
Amy Aquino was sitting on a chair in her office, with her feet on the window sill and her back to the camera while talking on the phone, "You know, those terrorists don't look very human, they look like half-human creatures...
"
"cut!"
Ronald stopped the filming, and Amy Aquino stood up, looking very nervous. She knew that she had messed up the first shot.
"You did a great job. But now here's something you should know: We have a microphone, a little microphone above your head, so you don't have to worry about us hearing you. Talk like you're on the phone
.”
Aquino looked confused. She had no experience in film acting. She had a microphone at the camera outside the door, so she spoke very loudly for fear of not being heard.
"You know what? You don't have to worry about that. There's a guy hanging a microphone on a boom, and you just make the phone call like you would in real life. Isn't it better for us to make a movie than a play?"
The employee who adjusted the recording pole also smiled. Ronald treated them, the young actors, very gently, and Aquino quickly understood how he should perform.
"action!"
Tess saw a woman talking on the phone inside. She found the secretary's seat outside the door and made a call. She already had experience working for women.
Alice, played by Aquino, noticed the movement, came out to greet Tess, and said, "I was just on the phone inside and didn't hear you come in."
"It's okay." Tess thought the new boss was pretty good.
"Would you like some coffee?" Alice said to Tess.
"Tell me where to get it," Tess immediately answered. It seemed that in her new job, she still couldn't escape making coffee for people.
"I'll get it done, what do you want?" Alice, played by Aquino, seems to be particularly easy to talk to.
"Uh...add sugar, add milk, please...thank you." Tess felt that her new boss Alice at least made a gesture, much better than Catherine. She put down her coat, took out the stuffed rabbit from her bag, and then began to sit down
Organize your desk.
Aquino walked back with coffee with sugar and milk and saw Tess sitting in the secretary's seat outside the office. She asked incomprehensively, "Miss McGill, that's your place."
Point to a separate room in the office and say "inside".
"I don't think..." Tess looked confused.
"Yes, your office is inside, and this is my seat."
"This is the secretary's seat...the secretary sits outside the office," Tess replied.
"Yes, I am the secretary... If possible, I would rather be called the assistant." Aquino said to Tess. After she got used to filming movies, she performed very well.
The two walked into the office, followed by the camera and recording pole.
Assistant Alice told Tess her schedule for today, then pointed to the computer in the corner and said, "Your schedule is all on the computer. You can see it by pressing shift + s."
"When I first came here, I saw you tapping your feet inside and talking on the phone. I thought this was your office." Tess felt that today was an adventure. She had trouble understanding the "junior" position Mr. Teske mentioned.
A big deviation.
"Sorry, I'm sorry, Miss McGill, it won't happen again." Alice, played by Aquino, is obviously a more experienced secretary. She thought Tess would use this to give her power and establish rules.
.
"Maybe now is a good time for you to tell me what you expect from me." Alice took the initiative to ask Tess to tell her her rules.
"It doesn't matter." Tess didn't mind her borrowing her phone. She remembered the rules Catherine had set for her when she saw her for the first time. The purpose was to suppress her self-confidence and prepare for the future exploitation of her labor and brain power.
Prepare.
Now that she is a manager, she faces her own secretary...
"Well, cough..." Melanie Griffith added her lips and cleared her throat. It was her first time as a leader, "I expect you to call me Tess, and I don't expect you to make me coffee unless
You also want to have a drink, um, let’s get along with the rest...ok?"
"Okay." Alice has been working as a secretary for longer than Tess. This is the first time she has met a boss who treats her with equal eyes. In terms of their work, she is in a supportive position, but in terms of personality,
, two people are truly equal.
She showed a sincere smile for the first time, and Alice could tell that Tess was not pretending to talk about equality, but was showing equality through actions, such as addressing her and making coffee.
"I'm right outside. If anything happens, just call me..." She closed the door and went out.
Melanie Griffith saw that her secretary had left and she was left alone in the office. She picked up the phone and called her good sisters...
"Xin, guess where I am now? Haha..."
"cut!"
Ronald was particularly satisfied with Melanie's smile as she achieved her goal after she answered the phone.
After calling a stop, it also means that the film crew has completed all the shots.
"Thank you, thank you everyone. The party is in the evening, I found the best club..."
…
Everyone applauded and cheered for "Working Girl" to pack up for the filming...
Ronald found Melanie Griffiths alone, "You go to the trailer and wait for me. Ask your manager to go too. I have something to tell you."