Chapter 25 The filming is full.

  The next day, the second team's cameras were set up to shoot the explosion scene. 

  Why does a teen rock movie have an explosion scene? 

  The plot is this: 

  The rebellious girl Liv and the good schoolgirl Kate invited the rock band Ramones to the high school to perform a live concert and changed the high school's name to Rock High School. In the confrontation with the old-fashioned principal, Mrs. Toga, top student Kate used her A+ in chemistry to set up something that the rebellious Liv used to blow the roof off the principal's office. 

  There was only one chance to shoot this scene, and Roger Corman specifically requested a demolition permit from the Los Angeles police. 

  Director Allen arranged the shooting with a dual-camera setup to capture more footage, making post-production easier. 

  Ronald grabbed a Nikon SLR camera and became a photographer, taking many photos of each actor and then the crew. These photos, along with ones of me and them, will be placed in the photography studio from now on, and clients will immediately believe in my ability. 

  PJ Soles, who played the rebellious girl, was very happy. She managed to have her boss evaluate the samples through her contacts. She knew Ronald had photographed her beautifully, so she came over to chat and gossip. 

  Yesterday, when filming a concert at the Roxy Bar, the bar charged a fee of 600 US dollars for the entire day. 

  Concerned about money, Roger Corman openly sold tickets in the newspapers. It was divided into three shifts: morning, afternoon, and evening. Not only did it subsidize the cost, but he also got many extras. 

  Fans bought tickets thinking there would be a concert. However, only six live songs were filmed, and the fans only saw the band sing these six songs over and over, often interrupted by the director. Just as one group of fans was about to leave, the next group arrived just in time. 

  Ronald could only write the word "impressive" in his heart. This money-saving technique is unique to Hollywood. 

  Today's explosion scene also has a "money-saving trick." There is a press conference scene that requires many extras to play reporters. 

  Boss Roger notified real Hollywood gossip reporters to interview the Ramones. On the one hand, it thanked the reporters for helping suppress the scandal that led the band members to the police station and returned the favor. On the other hand, real reporters are better than actors pretending to be reporters—and they are free. 

  Ronald laughed and learned a few of Roger Corman's money-saving tricks. 

  In the evening, the Ramones and their fans set up a concert stage under the national flag in front of the high school, and director Allen called, "Action." 

  Star PJ Soles took a modified prop bomb and pumped it all the way. 

  "Boom!" 

  The loud noise completely exceeded Ronald's expectations, and his ears were ringing. The enormous fireball even caught the national flag behind the stage, and the actors screamed and fled. 

  Neighbors turned on their lights, opened windows, and came out to check the situation, with some starting to call the police. 

  This grassroots team miscalculated the power. Ronald covered his face and smiled bitterly. Fortunately, there were no accidents. 

  The crew sped up and withdrew just in time to escape before the police arrived. 

  ... 

  The last day of the shooting schedule is December 22. The crew has prepared today's best indoor scene. 

  The two heroines wore gym T-shirts and shorts, followed by a group of guest members from the high school gymnastics team. Today's photo session was a gym class. 

  In recent years, the Soviet Union's female gymnastics team, rivals of the United States during the Cold War, dominated the Olympics. Their athletes introduced acrobatic and challenging moves into gymnastics, departing from the original emphasis on ballet-style elegance. 

  Later, the Sevilla gymnastics women's team visited America. The little girl with pigtails performed flips on TV every day. Parents across the U.S. went crazy, sending their daughters to gymnastics like never before. Many high schools have opened gymnastics classes. 

  Naturally, youth exploitation films won't miss this topic, organizing some cool scenes where energetic gymnasts, dressed in gym T-shirts and shorts, practice vault, balance beam, and uneven bars to the accompaniment of rock music. 

  PJ Soles took the microphone again and began to sing the movie's main theme, *"Rock of Ages."* Dancing with her were the sexy Chrissy and Mara, who had only slightly more screen time than PJ and Day Young. 

  The girl from the gymnastics team in the background began performing various gymnastics moves: Well... this vault move is like a flip, a direct somersault... and one foot came off the mat... 

  "This will cost you a lot of points," Ronald thought to himself. 

  The costumes and dances were all designed to satisfy the audience's desire for visual appeal. The on-site crew watched enthusiastically, and it seemed the effect would be good after release. 

  There was something wrong with PJ Soles' makeup for this scene. She played an 18-year-old high school student but was actually 28. Although her youth hadn't faded, the skin on her legs gave her away. Some veins could be seen, which didn't work well in close-ups. 

  Everyone was a bit lost. The makeup artist did their best to apply powder, but as soon as she started dancing, the powder came off. 

  The director wanted to shoot without powder, but PJ Soles disagreed. Actresses take their on-screen image seriously. 

  Ronald had an idea and found PJ's husband, who was visiting the set: "Does PJ have pantyhose? You could have her wear them under the gym shorts. This will cover her weak spots without affecting her sexy image." 

  Her husband quickly found her bag and pulled out a pair of pantyhose. After PJ put them on, the shoot went smoothly. 

  During lunch, PJ was very happy and approached with her husband to thank Ronald for his advice. If an actress doesn't look beautiful on camera, it could mean losing future lead roles and being relegated to older supporting roles. 

  Ronald's advice extended PJ Soles' acting career by several years. 

  "Ronnie, this is my husband, Dennis Quaid. He's an actor too," PJ formally introduced her husband to Ronald. 

  "Hi Dennis, I'm Ronald Lee." 

  "Thanks for your advice, Ronald; you know how much PJ loves beauty." Dennis smiled. 

  PJ Soles playfully hit her husband Dennis on the chest several times, then buried her head in his chest. She switched from the rebellious girl image to looking as cute as a bird. 

  Her husband, Dennis Quaid, looked like a bear, perfectly contrasting with his slender, beautiful wife. 

  The two had recently married and were still in love. 

  "So, from now on, should I call you Mrs. PJ Quaid?" Ronald asked with a smile. 

  "No, she won't change her last name," said Dennis, PJ's husband. 

  Ronald was a bit surprised. It was quite rare in the U.S. for a husband not to allow his wife to change her last name. 

  Dennis explained the reason: 

  PJ already had a reputation in Hollywood, with many movie appointments lined up. Changing her last name could confuse audiences and hurt her career. 

  Additionally, she earned residuals from successful films like *Carrie* and *Moonlight*. Changing her name could cause IRS issues and payment delays, which was best avoided. 

Ronald wrapped up his thoughts, ready to shoot the final scene, knowing a celebration awaited at the end. 

**PJ Sowers hit her husband Dennis on the chest several times without mercy and then buried her head in his chest.** She switched from the rebellious girl image in the movie and looked as cute as a bird. 

Her husband, Dennis Quaid, looked like a bear, perfectly contrasting with his slender and beautiful wife. 

The two had not been married long and were still deeply in love. 

"So, from now on, should I call you Mrs. PJ Quaid?" Ronald asked with a smile. 

"No, she won't change her last name," said Dennis, PJ's husband. 

Ronald was a bit surprised. It was quite rare in the United States for a husband not to allow his wife to change her last name. 

PJ's husband, Dennis Quaid, explained the reason: 

"PJ already has a certain reputation, with many film projects lined up in Hollywood, and she will receive many scripts. The audience is already familiar with her name, but if she suddenly changes her last name, the public won't know who she is, and it wouldn't be worth it for her career. 

Additionally, PJ has already made several successful films, and actors can still receive a lot of post-release revenue. In particular, the broadcast rights for her movies *Carrie* and *Moonlight* were purchased by the TV station, and every time they air on HBO, she gets a share. She receives a check from the Screen Actors Guild worth several thousand dollars each year. 

If she changes her last name, it's likely that the IRS system would make a mistake and count the income as belonging to two different people, causing a series of problems. She could also be fined for applying the wrong tax rate. The bureaucracy is slow to deal with these kinds of issues, so it's better not to make any changes." 

"There's one last phone booth scene this afternoon—don't forget, PJ," Ronald reminded them and lined up to buy hot dogs. 

The gym scene was completed successfully. Directors Allen and Joe discussed it and decided to take over the last scene, originally Ronald's responsibility. They had prepared a surprise for Ronald. 

This scene was also the last in the movie. It told the story of the rebellious girl Liv Randall and the good girl Kate Lambeau, who, while out, heard a lottery announcement on the radio saying the caller would receive two tickets to a Ramones concert. 

The two rushed to find a phone booth, dragging out a man who was proposing to his girlfriend, and grabbed the phone to call the radio station. 

Director Allen raised the loudspeaker and said, "Our team is very grateful to a young man who stood up and took responsibility during a tough moment, serving as interim director for a day. He is…" 

"Ronald!" everyone responded together. 

"This kid helped a lot on the set. He got along with everyone, which made our efficiency skyrocket. He also made the actresses look extremely beautiful. He is simply…" 

"Ronald!" 

"The final scene today requires a young man to play the role of someone proposing marriage. Who is the most qualified to play the man proposing?" 

"Ronald!" Everyone laughed after saying this. 

Starring PJ and Day Young, the two actresses entered the scene and pushed Ronald toward the phone booth. 

Cinematographer Dean Cundey came over to personally adjust the focus. 

Ronald also wanted to experience being on the other side of the camera, so he borrowed a fake beard from Gigi, the makeup artist. A chubby crew member handed him a suit and tie… 

Everything was ready… 

Ronald placed his hand on the phone, took a deep breath, and stood still inside the phone booth. 

"Action!" Allen ordered. 

Ronald picked up the phone and began to act: 

"This is a very special question that I will only ask one woman in my life… Please don't hang up, this is a bit hard for me… I'm asking you right here…" 

The two beautiful best friends suddenly braked and parked the car outside the phone booth. PJ ran to the booth, opened the door, and pulled Ronald out. 

The suitor, played by Ronald, stumbled back a few steps and fell, still muttering, "I hereby ask you to be my wife." 

Day Young caught him from behind and joked, "Sorry, you're not my type." 

"Cut!" 

Director Allen Ayckbourn shouted. 

"That's a wrap!" 

Everyone applauded enthusiastically. 

Allen raised his loudspeaker amid the applause: "I announce that the filming of *Rock of Ages* is officially complete!" 

Ronald took off the suit, removed the fake beard, and handed it back to the makeup team. He looked at the phone booth and suddenly thought: 

"By chance, I called Demi Gaines, the client who wants audition photos, and scheduled an appointment for her to come in for a photoshoot." 

"Ronald, come on! Let's head to the wrap party and have a good drink." 

"I'll just make one call…" 

The chapter ends with Ronald reflecting and making a quick phone call before joining the wrap party. 

End of chapter