Chapter 10 Dancing Beauties and Exploitation of Movie Magnates

"Chrissy Sommer and Marla Rosenfield."

The dancer pointed to Siana and raised her hand to call two students to perform in groups.

"She's definitely a bombshell," exclaimed Ronald. Among the extras on set, are there any beauties with such amazing figures? Kris has wavy blonde hair and green eyes. Marla has brown hair and blue eyes. Everything is in great shape.

"No problem with the image. How did they dance?"

The dancer Siana turned on the portable recorder, and a burst of familiar music played.

"All my body is electrified.

The electricity is building up.

I'm losing control

Because you caught me by surprise,

your eyes 'electrified' me..."

It's the main theme of the hit movie "Grease": "You're the One That I Want."

The two beauties danced very hard, their long hair flying up and down. Their powerful dance moves, combined with the rhythm, made people want to dance together.

Chrissy and Marla, one on the left and one on the right, grabbed Ronald's arms and pulled him to dance with them.

The smell of shampoo from the beauty's hair invaded Ronald's brain, mixed with the sensation of their arms, and Ronald couldn't help but jump too. He did a 360-degree spin, imitating the "Grease" star John Travolta, while Chrissy and Marla clapped and cheered.

Seeing everyone around him staring, Ronald gestured for them to stop and told Siana, "Alright, I'll give them a chance separately."

The dancer Siana was very happy. Her suggestion had been adopted, and she was likely to excel in dancing. She could also add a line to her résumé to earn extra points.

The dreamy images that Ronald was able to copy had already been filmed. Now he could only listen to the advice of the professional crew with an open mind. As long as the suggestion seemed feasible to him, he would adopt it. If he did so, everyone would be happy, and when he was happy, he would shoot faster.

"Thank you, Ronald, thank you." The eyes of the two beauties lit up as they took Ronald by the arms, left to right, and thanked him.

"Hoo ho ho…" Ronald smiled with joy. The pay for being a director is really good.

"You should thank Siana. She recommended you and said your dancing is very photogenic."

Ronald knew he was just a temporary substitute. As soon as the boss arrived, he would return to his daily routine of making coffee. He didn't talk much with the beauty and turned around to discuss the scene with the director of photography.

"Oh, Siana, what moves will you ask me to dance? How many takes will you give me?" "Siana, you'll see that I practiced ballet when I was a child."

When Ronald heard the excited voices of the beauties behind him, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart. Movies are indeed a fascinating industry. How many handsome men and beauties are willing to work hard in exchange for a chance to appear on camera?

…

The two beauties, Chrissy and Marla, changed clothes and appeared. Ronald's eyes lit up. Chrissy wore a sleeveless yellow top, and Marla wore a red tank top.

"Action!"

There was no live recording of this scene because the music to be played had not yet been decided and would be added later. The recording crew was still playing "You're the One That I Want."

"You'd better be ready

Because I need a reliable man.

My heart is already tied to you,

You'd better understand this

You must be sincere with me,

You must love me unreservedly…"

The two beauties turned together without hesitation, and the camera stared at them, taking a close-up of the tops of their bodies.

"Cut!"

"This is over, the extras will take a 10-minute break, and the props team will start preparing…"

But this time not everyone heard Ronald's order to dissolve. Instead, they stared at Ronald silently.

Just when it felt a bit strange, Ronald heard applause from the back, "Pah… pah… pah…"

Looking back, he saw a man and a woman standing not far away. They were Roger Corman, the head of New World Productions, and his assistant, Miss Gale, who smiled and congratulated him.

"The filming is very good, the camera design is excellent, and the actors are well chosen."

Roger Corman is a tall man with neatly styled hair, gold-framed glasses, a soft voice, and very logical. For those who don't know him, they might think he's a university professor teaching elegant subjects like English literature.

But his movies are exactly the opposite of his personality. Horror, science fiction, youth rebellion, and then he adds some beauty; it's explosive. There's no story, just some elements that teenagers like to see, filmed vigorously.

His films are called exploitation films in the industry, meaning B-level movies that exploit the residual value of certain elements regardless of the plot. They are generally shown in old city theaters, rural town cinemas, or drive-ins.

The president's assistant, Gale, was next to him, with short black Sassoon hair and bangs, looking like a doll.

"You're also a good dancer," Gale joked.

"Mr. Coleman, Gail, hello. We just finished filming the scene in the morning. The camera crew is reviewing the mirror door. They can talk to Mr. Candy. I don't know how my task was completed and if the film can be used."

"My dear Ronald, you don't have to be too modest at all. Gail and I have been here for a long time and have seen the whole process in which you directed this scene. I am very satisfied and have to admit it. I'm a little surprised. This is better than I imagined. It's much better and faster," said Roger Coleman, coming over and shaking Ronald's hand.

Director of photography Dean Candy was directing the red-haired assistant to pick up the film. A large film reel measuring 1000 feet (11 minutes long), and I filmed two reels in the morning. The red-haired assistant took off the lens again and checked the camera door for dust and hair. When filming a movie with film, the biggest fear is that the film gets scratched. This type of accident is not known in advance. It will only be discovered during development and printing, and it can only be refilmed.

Dean Candy approached and greeted Roger Coleman.

"Understood, you've seen it. Ronald took excellent footage."

"Are the lenses available?"

"I think it's fine. Anyway, I have to develop the samples tonight, so you can take a look tomorrow."

"I will."

Roger greeted everyone and called Ronald, Jim, director of photography Candy, and assistant Gale, and the five of them walked toward the high school teaching building.

Several people entered the principal's office. Gale took Jim to prepare coffee for everyone and closed the door.

Roger Corman paused and said, "Only the three of us know that Alan Akush had too much fun and needed to stay in the hospital for a day. Joe Dante went to the Hollywood police station to be interrogated. Today it's impossible to direct."

Ronald and Dean Candy were stunned. After a few seconds, Ronald tried to confirm, "Did Qiao go to the police station? ..."

"Don't worry, I just came from the hospital; Joe is being interrogated. Last night the Ramones were throwing a big party, and bassist Dee Dee Ramone got into a fight with someone in the street and was hit." The victim called the police, and the police discovered that Didi Ramone was with Allen and Joe when the accident happened last night, so they took Joe for questioning. As for Allen, the problem isn't big and can be resolved. He'll be released tomorrow. "Roger Coleman tapped the table with his fingers and looked at Ronald.

"I'll tell them later that Allen is exhausted. As for Joe Dante, I'll say he went to the police station to rescue Dee Dee Ramone."

Having said this, Roger Corman looked at Ronald: "The entertainment reporters in Los Angeles know about this matter, and I'll find a way to get them to report it accordingly.

The reason I'm telling you this is: first, you're the one who organized Allen's trip to the hospital, so you must be consistent. Second, I saw your directing work. The quality is good, and the speed is fast enough, so I still need you to film the scenes in the afternoon."

"Do I continue shooting?…" Ronald felt a little guilty. He had finished filming what he dreamed about last night, "Mr. Coleman, can't you stay and guide the shoot?"

"Hey, kid, I'm the president of New World Production Company. Do you know how many movies our company is developing right now? There are a total of 12 films, and 5 of them are in the filming stage. I'm very busy."

"Alright," Ronald smiled, "I filmed the scene in the morning based on the storyboards. In the afternoon, Mr. Candy helped, so I think it's fine."

"Very well, I know you're a talented kid and have a sense of responsibility. Generally speaking, it takes us 2 to 3 years to train a director. You know that Alan and Joe have been working at New World before they became directors. Does the company cut trailers?

"Four years after the edit, in 1976, they came to see me and told me that as long as they shot some additional footage, they could make a movie using the old footage from the company. I was convinced."

Roger Corman said slowly: "The cost of this film is very low. We shot for 20 days; if we put it on the market for 200,000 US dollars, you can earn back your initial investment. I need to maximize the value of our images, and you need to ensure that our stars are kept in top shape. Understand?"

Ronald nodded. "Okay."

Roger continued: "As for the money you earn from this, we can cooperate on two levels. I will give you the position of assistant director in future projects. If this film is a success, we can give you a $2,000 bonus."

Ronald opened his mouth, "That's too high; can we cut it in half?"

"You're very smart, so don't be surprised. In this industry, everyone is dealing with tricks, but I think you have the talent to shoot."

"Thank you," Ronald said softly, "I will do my best."

"Very good; I need you to produce results."

"Is it really okay to film it this way? What if the filming fails?" Ronald asked again, his heart feeling a little uneasy.

"Let's take a look at it step by step. The film industry relies on speed, so let's shoot as quickly as possible. Of course, you have the right to reject the filming, but I hope you think clearly about the consequences."

"Thank you, Roger, I'll think about it," Ronald promised.

Roger left, and Ronald found himself alone in the principal's office.

"Gail, do you think this is what you want?" he asked the assistant, but Gail smiled and said nothing.

End of Chapter