Exploiting Hollywood 1980.

Chapter 1442 The Tragedy of the Viper House
"Their chemistry is really good. Keanu Reeves looks really handsome with his buzz cut, and Sandra Bullock looks at him like she has a crush on him."

"Oh yeah? I think so too. These two are the perfect pair for a high school romance movie. It's like they have a crush on each other but neither of them says it out loud, and in the end they need someone to push them away. But in this movie, it's not a person, but a bomb, a bus that can't go less than 60 miles per hour."

"You hit the bull's eye..."

After watching a few scenes, Ronald was completely confident in director Jan de Bont. He was a cinematographer who had shot several action blockbusters and knew how to shoot action scenes. The only part that had not been tested was the non-action scenes of the hero and heroine, but with the chemistry between the two actors, all it took was a close-up shot of the two handsome men and beautiful women. The emotions in their eyes would naturally make the audience buy into this romantic love.

Jan de Bont has only one shortcoming. As a director who is a photographer, it is easy for him to repeat shooting because the beauty of the shots is not enough and does not reach his own level as a director of photography.

Ronald only gave Jan de Bont one piece of advice, which was that when he was shooting, if he had not captured a perfect performance after three takes, he should just let it go.

Even Stanley Kubrick, a well-known Hollywood filmmaker who is most demanding about camera performance, said that he would not keep shooting a shot he was not satisfied with until it was perfect, and that he would strike a balance between perfection and shooting conditions.

So for a rookie director like Jan de Bont, who is shooting a movie like Speed ​​that relies on big action scenes to win, he only needs to make sure the key big scenes are perfect, and he will be satisfied if the rest can get 80 points.

Ronald had a good idea of ​​what quality Jan de Bont could deliver after watching the sample films for a few days. Except for the big stunts, he didn't have to go to the set to supervise, and spent more time on the post-production of "Forrest Gump".

After several weeks of hard work, Ronald received an unexpected call from Jan de Bont while he was in the special effects studio.

"Ronald, this is De Bont. The crew is having a big problem. I need you to come over. Otherwise, the filming of this movie might not be possible..."

"What? Don't be nervous. What happened that you want me to deal with? Did Keanu and Sandra have a fight?"

"It's worse than that. Keanu doesn't talk on the set except when filming. The quality of filming continues to decline..."

"Fuxk..."

Ronald cursed, why did the male lead become depressed while filming?

"Don't you know? Your leading actor Keanu's good friend, River Phoenix, died..." When Ronald called to ask what the problem was, Richard immediately reported the cause of Keanu Reeves' depression.

"What does his death have to do with my leading actor? No, how did he die?" Ronald really couldn't understand the psychology of these young actors. How could the death of a good friend be such a big blow to him? They weren't lovers? Huh?

"He probably died of a drug overdose outside a bar called the Viper House. His girlfriend Samantha Mathis, his brother Joaquin, and his friends witnessed him convulsing and collapsing on the street. These people and your leading actors Keanu Reeves and Johnny Depp were all friends who played in the same band together."

"When did this happen?"

"Didn't you watch the news the night before last?"

"Shit, I was busy in the special effects studio late last night and didn't have time to watch it."

……

“Is this the sample from yesterday?”

After arriving at the set, Ronald did not meet the lead actor first, but instead watched the daily dailies. Keanu Reeves' expression was quite depressed, and he did not seem to have any reaction to his scenes with Sandra Bullock. The light in his eyes was gone, and now he looked very empty.

"Yeah, he's hiding in his trailer right now, and he goes in to be alone as soon as the filming is over..." Jan de Bont scratched his messy hair.

Hearing this, Ronald almost became depressed. All the footage shot yesterday and today cannot be used, and it is unknown how long Keanu Reeves' condition will last.

He thought about it for five minutes, then started calling various parties involved. Finally, half an hour later, he came up with a solution. He talked to Jan de Bont.

"Don't worry, take your time. I've got experts in Los Angeles who can handle this kind of thing. You can take as much time as you need, just don't make Keanu's problems worse. I don't have the budget to recast and reshoot the previous scenes.

I also asked doctors and nurses from the rehabilitation center to come over. We need to conduct a comprehensive test and monitoring of Keanu's health condition... In addition, the safety of the crew needs to be strengthened. I will arrange enough security guards to be stationed on site, and no idle people without passes will be allowed to enter.

The leading male and female characters and the main supporting roles are all equipped with bodyguards and are prohibited from contacting non-crew members without permission..."

Urgent consultations were held with Keanu Reeves' agent to first ensure that his condition did not continue to deteriorate, and then to take measures to prevent them from coming into contact with River Phoenix's cronies and bringing the "plague" to the crew.

Soon, all measures were in place. Ronald was a little worried, wondering how long it would take for Keanu Reeves to return to normal. He talked to Jan de Bont about the filming arrangements for a long time.

The most central idea is to reduce the amount of acting that Keanu Reeves needs to do, and change most of the subsequent shots to medium to long shots that don't require much acting, and then shoot some close-up reaction shots.

This way of shooting allows the audience to understand the plot, but scenes that require emotional investment are deleted and replaced with a long shot and a few close-ups to tell the story clearly.

Anyway, in editing theory, there is a psychology called the Kuleshov effect. If the close-up of the same face is placed after a shot of food, the audience will think it means they want to eat. If it is placed after a shot of a baby, the audience will think it means love. If it is placed after a shot of a scary insect, the audience will think it means fear.

It doesn’t matter if Keanu Reeves can’t act it out. Just take more close-ups of him looking handsome and the audience will imagine in their minds the emotional reactions he should have.

"Director, director, I want to protest, protest, you can't do this..."

Ronald was chatting with director Jan de Bont in the trailer when there was a knock on the door. An angry middle-aged man with long hair was attacking the door of the trailer like crazy.

"Who is that?" Ronald looked at the angry middle-aged man who was wearing a hoodie. Although his voice was loud, he was also quite measured when knocking on the door. He didn't kick it, but banged it with his hands. He looked crazy, but he was actually very rational.

"Dennis Hopper... He played a great villain. Maybe your measures prevented his suppliers from coming in."

"Oh, it's okay, I'll talk to him..."

Ronald recognized him; this was Dennis Hopper, the director and actor of "Easy Rider," one of the pioneering works of the New Hollywood.

This guy used to work for Roger Corman. After he got the script for "Easy Rider", he found Columbia's investment through Jack Nicholson and jumped from low-cost B-level movies to big-budget mainstream movies.

But Dennis Hopper has another reputation that is hilarious: He may be the person in Hollywood history who abused drugs the most but is still alive.

This man abused all kinds of drugs, and in extremely large doses, often passing out, but waking up on his own a few hours later. Over the years, his body had not been completely ruined, but his mind was sometimes a little neurotic, which could be considered another kind of talent.

"Oh, Ronald. Hahaha, Ronald, it's you. I used to work for Roger Corman. Do you know me?"

As soon as Dennis Hopper opened the door and saw Ronald inside, he immediately started to build relationships. This guy has been in Hollywood for many years. In addition to his excellent acting skills, he can talk well with all kinds of people and has a wide network of contacts.

"Of course, Mr. Dennis Hopper, come up and talk." Ronald saw that he had returned to normal and knew that the knocking on the door just now was also a "performance."

"I'm sorry, it's not that I don't follow your rules, it's just that my body is damaged now, and I can only use some alternative drugs to maintain my sobriety.

I'm sorry, I try not to violate the crew, can you give me an exception and let my friend come once every two days, I will have fun in my trailer and never disturb others..."

Ronald laughed when he heard it. For this guy, doing this kind of thing is almost the same as eating and drinking water.

"Of course, I was inconsiderate. I will give you an exception pass. Just don't play in a place where others can see you..."

"Ronald, you saved me, thank you." Dennis Hopper also needed to make this movie, and it was the best news for him to get this kind of role now. If Ronald strictly enforced the ban, he would have no choice but to run away.

"It's okay. We have all benefited a lot from Roger (Coleman), but... my exception is only for you." Ronald said that I don't know you very well, and if you violate the rules with others, I won't be polite either.

"Of course, this thing is really harmful. I heard about River Phoenix. He should have talked to me. How could his body withstand those things? This thing should be used step by step, from the shallow to the deep, and slowly upgraded. You can't get the trump card right away..."

Dennis Hopper was a little delighted and actually gave Ronald and the director a "scientific" guide.

"I really don't need to hear this, Dennis," Ronald laughed and told him to stop.

"Oh, okay. I'll go to my trailer right now, thank you..." Dennis Hopper walked towards the trailer door, and before opening the door, he looked back in Ronald's direction.

"I know this is not something I should be involved in, but I have experience that our hero needs a relatively slow recovery period, otherwise he may suffer an emotional breakdown..."

"Please continue..." Ronald thought that this was the experience of the most senior "bug" in Hollywood, which might be beneficial to Keanu Reeves' recovery.

Dennis Hopper's statement is actually very simple. The Viper House is a "cave" for young Hollywood actors and singers. These young people have no old-school hippie style at all, they are just messing around.

They often mix other things in. For example, excessive amounts of caffeine and a large amount of prescription drugs that they may not even know about are mixed together. The combined reaction is likely to cause brain edema and epilepsy. This time, River Phoenix died on the street in this way.

Keanu Reeves' depression is also triggered by something else, and is not entirely caused by the death of his good friend.

The best way is to let them recover slowly in a dark trailer, gradually increasing the shooting time every day. Don't worry, with the intake of water and protein, they can fully recover in about two weeks.

With Dennis Hopper's experience, Ronald followed suit. Two or three days later, Keanu Reeves' condition gradually improved, and almost half of the shots shot with close-up editing were usable.

……

"As his friends, co-workers and the rest of our family knew, River was not a regular user. He lived with us in Florida and was almost never involved in the Viper Club thing in Los Angeles.

He had just arrived in Los Angeles from the pristine beauty and tranquility of Utah where he had been shooting for six weeks. We felt that the excitement and energy of the Halloween nightclub and party scene was far beyond his usual experience and control.

How many other beautiful young souls have died because of being used? I pray that by leaving in this way, the world will focus on the pain that his generation of souls are in. The life that River had on earth was very impressive. He found his voice and his place.

Even River, with the opportunity of the whole world listening, feels deeply frustrated that no one is listening. What will it take to change this? Chernobyl isn't enough? ExxonMobil's pollution isn't enough? A bloody war for oil isn't enough?

If River's passing can open our hearts around the world, then I want to say, dear, beloved son, thank you for once again giving us all a gift."

Two weeks later, River Phoenix's mother began to publish her eulogy for her son in the newspapers again, and invited Keanu Reeves, Johnny Depp, Robert Downey Jr., the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and other friends of River to attend a public memorial service at the Viper Club where her son died.

"Fuck, what is this old witch?" Ronald was furious when he heard about this and banned all the actors involved in his project from attending any memorial service.

"She is not only a bad mother, but also a believer of the Cult. It is said that Rui Fan was chosen by them as the 'savior' of the faction. There are also rumors that when he was young, he was sexually assaulted by the top leaders of the Cult..."

"What is this... pie?"

"A cult called God's Child has been declared illegal in America and can only go to Caracas, Venezuela. Rui Fan's parents are their faithful believers and believe that their son is the chosen one..."

"Fuxk, I remember now..." When Ronald heard the familiar name "Child of God", he remembered that this was the one who cheated Michelle Pfeiffer of all her money, wanted to threaten him, and had the idea of ​​kidnapping Diane.

Since these guys can't act in the name of Cult in Los Angeles, they often disguise themselves as vegetarian movements, acting coaches, etc., to control these people.

"Fuck, give me Michelle's phone number. I'm going to unite all the Hollywood stars. Anyone who has anything to do with this thing will never be able to make a movie in Hollywood..." Ronald was so angry that he even wanted to take advantage of River Phoenix's memorial service to trick his leading actor Keanu Reeves over.

"I'll call them..." Richard started to contact immediately.

"Ring ring ring ring..."

Soon, the phone rang and Ronald picked it up...

"Ronald, it's Tom Cruise. He heard about your idea and wants to work with you."

"Hi, Tom..." Ronald pressed a button and switched to his line.

"Fuck, even David Geffen was caught off guard. They messed up my schedule so much that I couldn't finish it."

Tom Cruise was originally going to shoot "Interview with the Vampire" invested by David Geffen, but River Phoenix, who was originally scheduled to play the role, died. The entire crew had to redo many things, which caused a chain reaction and caused considerable losses for Cruise, who had originally planned to shoot next year.

The calls started coming in. River Phoenix was a popular teenage idol, and many of his projects had suffered heavy losses. He was supposed to work with Susan Sarandon, Winona Ryder, and many other stars next year.

Facing the death of River Fan and his mother, no one could condemn them, but as for his "friends" who were doing all kinds of things, and those who wanted to use him, these producers and stars, everyone wished that they could die instead of River Fan.

In short, those who were badly cheated have agreed not to give any chance to anyone who does not express remorse for Rui Fan's death.