Chapter 3: Magic Light

Ronald drove to Van Nuys High School early in the morning.

The dream from last night didn't feel like just a dream but more like a memory from a previous life. The images from the first three minutes were so vivid, as if a television was playing in his mind.

In the dream, he wasn't watching Rock and Roll High School in a movie theater. There were far fewer people seated there than in a cinema, and the screen was much smaller. The black box that the machine spit out at the end looked like a VHS videotape, a new invention by a Japanese company.

It seemed that Rock of Ages would likely be somewhat successful; otherwise, it wouldn't have been distributed overseas.

What a pity the movie was interrupted after only three minutes...

Ronald thought as he filled out the shooting journal.

Date: Saturday, December 16, 1978 

Location: Van Nuys High School, Hollywood, Los Angeles 

Setup Time: …

He checked his watch. It was 5:30 AM. He continued writing in the journal: *05:30.*

It wasn't cold in Los Angeles during winter, so he wore just a jacket over a plain white T-shirt. A fanny pack hung from his waist. He slipped his pen into his pocket, took out a small notebook, and flipped to a folded page where he had noted the sunrise time—something he had called the weather station about the day before: 06:48 AM.

Ronald glanced at his watch again: 5:31 AM. He clicked his tongue in frustration and frowned.

Approaching the first assistant director, he cleared his throat. "Uh, excuse me..."

Before he could finish, Jim ran over from the other side. "Where's Director Allen? And Joe Dante?" Jim asked, cutting him off.

The team's credited director was Allan Arkush, but in reality, both he and Joe Dante co-directed the film. Sometimes Dante even made the final decisions on shots. There were rumors on set that they were "good friends."

The first assistant director shrugged, saying he had no idea where the two were. He was the kind of assistant who just followed orders from the director. Ronald pursed his lips, about to speak again, but Jim pulled him aside.

Jim whispered, "You missed it last night. I saw the director head to the Roxy Bar with the Ramones after the wrap party. I heard it was wild."

Gossip spread quickly on film sets, some of it true, some false. If you wanted to succeed on set, you had to keep your ears open and make lots of friends.

Ronald wasn't quite used to Jim's Beatles-style long hair, which was slightly shorter than shoulder-length. Since filming began, Jim had also stopped shaving and now sported a full beard.

Though he looked like someone from the "art scene," Jim didn't smoke with the crew (maybe they smoked other things), and he wasn't into spirituality, anti-nuclear protests, or yoga. As a result, he wasn't the best source of gossip.

"Looks like the directors will be late today," Ronald said, handing Jim the shooting journal.

Jim took it, and the two reviewed the day's shooting schedule, confirming every detail.

After finishing the journal, Ronald pulled out more pencil sketches and handed them to Jim.

"What's this?"

"I drew the storyboard last night."

Ronald explained that he had sketched the first three scenes of the movie based on the revelations from his dream after waking up in a fright.

Storyboards are visual representations of a script's scenes—like a comic book version of the film. Directors use them as references to schedule shoots and guide post-production editing. If making a movie is like building a house, the storyboard is the blueprint.

Jim was impressed and repeatedly praised Ronald's drawings, saying they were almost photographic.

Neither Ronald nor Jim was an ordinary assistant. Both were determined to break into the film industry. They arrived early, stayed late, brewed coffee, observed the crew, and learned along the way.

The directors noticed this and didn't treat them like typical assistants. Beyond menial tasks, the two were often involved in decisions related to filming.

Jim shadowed the directors, watching them interact with the actors. Ronald handled various responsibilities—organizing extras, filling out shooting logs, shouting instructions, keeping track of lunch orders, and more.

When they had time, the directors would share advice and tips on filmmaking with them.

"The directors haven't shown up yet, but we need to take advantage of the light around sunrise for filming," Jim said after checking the time. He added, "Think like a director—always plan ahead."

"Right. Let's talk to the first AD—" Ronald began but stopped mid-sentence. "Forget it. He'll just follow orders anyway. Let's go straight to the cinematographer."

They went looking for Dean Cundey, the director of photography. He was setting up the camera crane with three sturdy crew members.

"Mr. Cundey," Ronald said, "the directors aren't here yet. If we don't rehearse now, we'll miss the sunrise light. Can we delay the shoot?"

Cundey wasn't the type to explain basic concepts to assistants. But he had seen Ronald's sharp instincts the previous day, so he motioned for his first camera assistant—a red-haired man who handled the focus and camera movement—to answer.

"You've got about 20 minutes before and after sunrise," the assistant explained. "That's the magic hour. The sky lights up, but the sun isn't directly visible yet. It's like nature giving you perfect backlighting. Miss that window, and you lose that look."

"Then we need to start preparing now. I'll organize the extras for rehearsal, Jim will brief the actresses, and Mr. Cundey, you can set up the camera. How does that sound?"

Cundey, a bearded man, silently gave a thumbs-up. Ronald turned to Jim with a grin. "Let's do this!"

Around 30 extras were on set, all Van Nuys High School students. Today's scene was set at the start of the school year, with various clubs—like theater, science, and football—preparing booths to welcome new students, along with some dance sequences.

Ronald grabbed a megaphone and called out to the extras: "Students of Van Nuys High! Thanks for joining us for today's filming of *High School Life*! Are you ready to make your on-screen debut?"

"Yeah!" the crowd responded enthusiastically.

"Alright! Let's divide into groups. You, you—stand here. You two over there. If you're wearing skirts, two of you stand in the front row. Football team, over here..."

After arranging the groups, Ronald gave final instructions. "Football players, your job is to escort one of the actors playing a freshman along this path. The rest of you, mingle and chat among yourselves."

"Okay, let's rehearse!"

"Remember—no looking at the camera!" Ronald reminded them. "If you want to see your face on the big screen, don't look at the camera! Anyone caught looking, I'll have to cut their scene!"

He gave them 10 minutes to get dressed and touch up their makeup, noting the time: 5:45 AM.

After dismissing the extras, Ronald scanned the crew near the camera. "Has anyone seen the slate? Jenny?"

"Here, Ronnie!" a female voice called from behind him.

He turned to find Jenny, holding the shooting journal in one hand and jotting notes in another book.

Jenny was the continuity supervisor, responsible for ensuring that props and costumes stayed consistent across takes.

Ronald approached her and pointed at the slate, lowering his voice. "Jenny, we need to change the movie title. It can't be Rock and Roll High School. It has to be High School Life."

End of chapter