On January 7th, "Pretty Woman" was officially launched in a villa in Beverly Hills.
Based on the consideration that the fat and water will not flow to outsiders, many supporting roles in "Pretty Woman" are selected from uta. Kapoor was right when he said that these people have no problem with their acting skills, they just lack opportunities.
Even if they can get a small role with only a few lines in the new film directed by "Home Alone", these young actors are quite satisfied. Eric didn't promise anything to everyone.
As soon as "Pretty Woman" is released, UTA's contracted actors will find out how lucky they are. In the previous life, because of the popularity of "Pretty Woman", even the elevator operator who only appeared in the movie a few times eventually became a comedian with constant film appointments.
Edward's mercenary personal lawyer, Philip Starkey, did not have a suitable actor in UTA. Eric contacted the original actor Jason Alexander.
Jason Alexander was still an ordinary Broadway stage actor at this time. Although his acting skills were good, his appearance had no advantages. He only played some insignificant roles in a few movies and TV series. Hearing that he could get a supporting role in Eric's new film, the other party jumped from the original agency to join uta without hesitation.
Hollywood is so realistic, as long as Jason Alexander achieves success in the future, no one will accuse him of betrayal, but will envy his good luck.
In the villa, all the actors had been buried. Eric sat behind the monitor and gave an OK gesture to the assistant, and the shooting officially started.
""Pretty Woman", the first act, the first scene, action!"
The slate was clicked down, and everyone in front of the camera started to move.
In the shot, a magician invited from the circus speaks his lines while skillfully performing coin magic tricks.
"No matter what they say, it's always about money..."
Soon, the camera moved up, and the magician took out a gold coin from Edward's ex-girlfriend's ear. Philip Stuckey, played by Jason, appeared in the camera with a smile, and asked a male guest who was watching the magic trick about the actor Edward. whereabouts.
This is a long shot of nearly one minute, and the performance is quite difficult, which quite tests the performance ability of the actors. In order to shoot this shot well, it has been rehearsed many times before.
Jason Alexander did not disappoint Eric. As the camera moved, Jason in the monitor was smiling all the way, spit out a line without hindrance, shuttled among the guests, accompanied by rich and natural body language.
After Jason kissed one of the female guests on the cheek, Eric yelled in satisfaction: "cut!"
Jason Alexander put down the champagne in his hand, and walked towards Eric with a smile on his face: "Director Williams, how was that shot just now, do you want to do it again?"
Eric couldn't help giving a thumbs up, and praised: "It's not necessary at all, it's perfect, this is a good start."
Several members of the crew couldn't help coming over, Eric played back the scene just now, and everyone nodded in unison when they saw Jason Alexander's performance.
After watching the playback again and confirming that there is no need to shoot again, Eric clapped his hands and said: "Okay, the relevant staff will prepare for the second scene immediately."
Everyone dispersed, and Jason Alexander also entered the villa to prepare for the next scene with Al Pacino and others.
A room on the second floor of the villa was converted into a conference room, and Al Pacino was flipping through the materials he had read countless times.
In order to make Al feel more substituting for the role, Eric specially asked someone to prepare a more than ten pages of information about Lewis Company and Moses Company. Although these two companies are fictitious, the contents of the information are all professionals. Designed based on companies that exist in reality.
The second shot was of a meeting discussing the acquisition of the Moses company. Although the room has been initially remodeled, it still took half an hour to arrange the seats and other work.
After the filming started, Eric focused most of his attention on Al Pacino, who was performing for the first time. Al Pacino didn't have a few lines in this scene, and he was all expressed by facial expressions and body language. It's what Al Pacino does best.
Al's image is very different from that of Richard Gere in the original version. The Edward he portrayed is still handsome, but his temperament is more wise and indifferent, and less gentle and easy-going. In fact, this is more in line with the setting in the script that Edward is a cold, businessman who executes his own plan like a machine.
Therefore, Eric quickly accepted the new image created by Al.
"Cut," after taking a few shots, Eric suddenly called a pause at the beginning of a shot, frowned, and stood up.
"Eric, what's the problem?" Al Pacino asked suspiciously. The first few shots went well, and he didn't think there was anything wrong with his performance just now.
Eric shook his head: "Al, it's not your problem." After speaking, Eric sat behind a blonde at the conference table, and the blonde named Dolly stood up quickly.
Eric picked up the notepad that Dolly had just written and painted on the table with a blank expression: "Dolly, do you know that because of your negligence, we have to reshoot all the shots just now!"
Dolly apologized nervously: "I'm sorry, director, I... may I know what the problem is?"
"Your character is a meeting minutes-taker, but the first couple of shots, you look like you're absent-minded, you know? If this was a real company meeting, you'd be fired, look what you wrote What, 'May I compare you to summer, but you are softer than summer', is this a poem?"
The blond girl's fair face flushed slightly, and she explained softly, "It's... it's Shakespeare's sonnets."
"Okay, Miss Literary and Art, now, sit down." Eric asked Dolly to sit down again, ate the little tofu, corrected her sitting posture, and put the notepad in front of the girl : "Next, remember, don't write any more poems, and quickly write down all the lines that Al and the others said, understand?"
Dolly nodded: "I see, Director Williams."
Eric returned to the director's chair and directed everyone to start shooting again. The reason why it was so easy to let the girl go was because Eric himself was at fault.
He had focused too much attention on the performance of Al and the others just now, and ignored Dolly's mistakes. He didn't react until Dolly appeared in the center of the screen in a shot. If he had corrected him in time at the beginning, so many shots would not have been wasted.
However, as a director, in order to maintain his prestige in the crew, he will definitely not admit that it was his mistake on such a trivial matter.
Although the party scene in the villa is only a few minutes in the film, it took more than half a day to shoot. It was not until after four o'clock in the afternoon that the last scene in the villa was finally ushered in, which was a conversation between Edward and his ex-girlfriend Susan.
After breaking up with his current girlfriend Jessica on the phone roughly and directly, Edward, who was about to leave the villa, went downstairs and just ran into his ex-girlfriend, so the two chatted briefly.
…
"Susan, can I ask you something?" Edward stared at Susan.
Susan asked suspiciously, "What?"
Edward slightly raised his hand, thought for a while before saying, "When you were my girlfriend, did you talk to my secretary more than I did?"
There was a little disappointment in Susan's tone, as if recalling the past when the two got along: "Your secretary became my bridesmaid later."
Edward froze for a moment, smiled awkwardly, and bid farewell to Susan.
This episode may seem ordinary, but it is actually one of several turning points in the character of the hero Edward in the movie.
It's not without reason that "Pretty Woman" was a box office success and included in most romantic movie lists. Many people will think, oops, this is just a prince and Cinderella fairy tale without nutrition, and it is impossible to happen in reality.
There is nothing wrong with saying this, but the plot design of this movie is much more refined. Perhaps the director himself did this subconsciously at the beginning, but it cannot deny the existence of these exquisite settings.
If you want to say illogical, the "Notting Hill" filmed after Julia became famous in her previous life is called illogical. Rick saw this movie for the first time, and was overwhelmed by that abrupt scene.
In "Pretty Woman", the reason why the hero and heroine can get together in the end is not irrational and forceful. In the movie, the characters of Vivienne and Edward have undergone at least three transformations.
Vivienne's first transformation was not long after the beginning of the film, when she met the prostitute who died in the trash can. When Luca met, Vivienne asked for the first time, 'Don't you want to get out of this life? '
The second time was to accompany Edward to a banquet. Vivian went to buy clothes alone, but was kicked out of the clothing store. Vivian, who was walking on the street wrapped in a coat, felt the biting humiliation, which made her make up her mind again Escape from the original life.
For the last time, Edward gave up the acquisition of Moses Company, and Philip Stuckey, who was furious, blamed Vivienne. In the hotel room, Philip Stuckey said to Vivienne meanly: "Don't forget your Identity, Miss Vivian, you are not a little woman, you are just a prostitute!"
This sentence completely awakened Vivian, who was immersed in the Cinderella dream created by Edward. So, when Edward said that he wanted to adopt her, Vivienne ran to the balcony, not daring to look Edward in the eyes, but dreaming about her childhood fantasies. She said to him, either, give her a fairy tale, or let her go.
She finally chose to leave, although this is not the end.
The protagonist Edward’s character change began in the villa. He asked his own question in the conversation with his ex-girlfriend Susan. Susan said that her secretary became her bridesmaid in the end. How indifferent and ignoring Shan is, the girlfriend has to stay with his secretary. Although this detail is unlikely to cause too many changes in Edward's personality, it also makes him start to reflect on his behavior.
Edward's second transformation was after having dinner with the boss of Moses Company, and returning to the hotel, he sat alone on the balcony overlooking the night view of Los Angeles. Because the conversation during the meal reminded him of his father who passed away not long ago, he studied hard and worked hard, and in the end it was all in order to avenge his father for abandoning her mother. The first thing he did after establishing the company was to acquire the company run by his father. The company was split up and sold.
However, his father passed away, and all the grievances and grievances of fourteen years had disappeared, and he finally felt a little tired. When a person is tired, willpower is always the weakest. At this time, a woman suddenly appeared in front of him, enlightened him, comforted him, and broke into his heart unconsciously.
On the piano in the dining room, a weary Edward burst out with intense emotion for the first time.
The final metamorphosis began that night, when Vivienne pestered Edward to play chess, Edward propped his chin and said, "Why don't you play again tomorrow? I still have to work?"
Vivienne asked back: "Why do you have to go to work and take a day off?"
Edward woke up like a dream: "Yes, I am the boss."
So Edward was completely "degenerate". They went shopping like lovers, hugged each other and lay on the lawn to read, and chatted all over the world in the snack bar...
In the end, he found that he couldn't do without Vivienne.
On the sad rainy day before parting, in the singing of "This Must Be Love", Edward finally made up his mind to give Vivian a fairy tale. He turned into a knight, holding a long sword (umbrella) in his right hand and flowers in his left , climbed up the window (hanging ladder) of the castle, and greeted his princess back.