America 1987

Chapter 11 Start-up

"Of course, the lead actor in '42nd Street' in London's West End, I saw you perform when I was in university."

Quick-thinking David came up with this reason in a flash, explaining without batting an eye, "Your productions are almost surpassing those on Broadway. As someone aspiring to be a director, I naturally need to pay close attention to your popular shows."

"Really?" Catherine was somewhat skeptical, but it seemed that there was really no other way for her to know herself besides this.

By the late 80s, London's West End had undergone a significant transformation in the eyes of Hollywood filmmakers—gradually rising from a "Broadway stand-in" to a global musical theater powerhouse that rivaled it.

Previously, although London's West End had a long history, it was long regarded as a supporting actor and substitute for Broadway because many of its popular shows were remakes of Broadway originals.

This situation was completely reversed in the 80s.

In 1981, Webber and Mackintosh's "Cats" premiered and became the most-running production in London's West End and Broadway within 15 years.

In 1986, "The Phantom of the Opera" was launched and became a long-standing signature show of the West End.

These two shows, along with "Les Misérables" and "Miss Saigon" which came later, are known as the "Four Great Musicals of the World," which strongly conquered the Broadway market and caused a huge sensation.

For Hollywood filmmakers, London's West End was also very attractive at this time.

The cost advantage is particularly prominent. The West End can share costs with British films and television series, while Broadway cannot share resources with Hollywood in Los Angeles, which is why the cost of musicals in the latter is almost 3 to 5 times that of the former.

Because its artistic quality is comparable to Broadway and its commercial value is even higher, Hollywood filmmakers like to use it as a low-cost testing ground, taking advantage of British tax breaks and lower labor costs to incubate their works, and then feed them back into the American market, achieving a "two birds with one stone" effect.

Therefore, compared to actors from other countries, actors from London's West End are more likely to gain mainstream attention and favor in Hollywood.

and so……

"Of course it's true," David tightened his grip on his arm, "otherwise, why would I have specifically invited you to the audition?"

Catherine didn't say anything. Although she wasn't 100% convinced, she was pretty much certain that USC students did have a habit of watching musicals.

She's thinking about something else now.

"You mean the character Molly was actually written for me?"

"Huh? This...you guessed it all. I knew I couldn't hide anything from you."

At this point, David Ovitz naturally went along with her, just wanting to get the topic over with as quickly as possible, otherwise he really wouldn't be able to smooth things over.

However, Catherine didn't seem pleased with this answer. Instead, she frowned at David with some surprise and asked, "Do you think I'm similar to Molly?"

"Not entirely alike," David gave a very sly reply, and then seriously analyzed the similarities between the two, "mainly in terms of temperament..."

In her early career, Catherine pursued a pure and innocent image.

The TV series that made her famous in 91 made her known to the British public for her "refined and elegant" image, turning her into a household name and superstar in the British Isles.

During this period, the label of "refined and elegant" was closely tied to her physical appearance—long black hair, amber eyes, classical and dignified bone structure, and a soft beauty that combined Eastern and Western characteristics, making her naturally suitable for the role of an innocent and romantic young girl.

While the female protagonist "Molly" in "Ghost" doesn't completely fit the character's description, there are indeed some similarities in their temperament.

Because it's a pure love story, the character definitely needs to have a girl-next-door approachability, which coincides with Catherine's early screen image; and because the role involves intimate scenes (pottery scenes), she also needs to possess a certain sex appeal.

Needless to say, that's the route she took in Hollywood.

This evening, full of surprises and unexpected delights, passed quickly.

David and Catherine have not yet reached the point of being able to live together, although she might not refuse if he takes the initiative.

However, in order to ensure the smooth filming of his debut film, David kept his younger brother in check.

As a new director, he is naturally less authoritative. If he cannot demonstrate his professionalism and seriousness, then even if he is the nephew of the head of CAA, he will probably find it difficult to convince the public.

Moreover, sometimes delayed gratification isn't necessarily a bad thing.

and so……

"One shot, one take, one take!" The script supervisor (commonly known as the "clapper") stepped forward to announce the shot number and slammed the clapperboard.

"Action!"

After shouting this classic command, David directed the crew to begin filming the first shot of "Ghost".

The full version of the traditional Hollywood start-of-film command is actually "Lights! Camera! Action!", which translates to "Lights! Camera! Action!"

Later, with the development of the times, in order to be concise and efficient, the first two words were omitted.

The first shot David directed the crew to film was not the beginning of the movie, but the end.

In fact, counterintuitively, the opening scene is often the last one to be filmed.

This is because the first scene of a movie sets the theme and tone for the entire film, making it particularly important. Therefore, directors usually wait until the actors are fully immersed in their roles and the team is in sync before filming begins.

Hollywood generally doesn't shoot movies in chronological order, but rather according to priority.

The highest priority is—large-scale scenes, ensemble pieces, and special effects shots. These are costly, difficult to coordinate, and have limited weather windows, so they must be completed as early as possible. Any budget overruns or delays will cause the entire project to collapse.

The movie "Ghost" itself doesn't have any big scenes or ensemble pieces, and the shot that uses the most special effects is naturally the "kiss between a human and a ghost" at the end of the movie.

"Are you two alright?" David Ovitz asked the two actresses who were hugging each other.

"Sen?"

Catherine, who had been nestled in Whoopi Goldberg's arms, raised her head with red eyes and a hint of confusion in her voice.

The photographer aimed the lens at David's face and took a medium close-up shot.

"Molly?"

Catherine, who had already cut her hair into a bob, replied with delight, "I heard you."

The camera paused briefly on her, and tears welled up in Catherine's eyes; the photographer captured this precious moment.

If this were a movie, a portal resembling the gates of heaven would appear to David's right rear at this moment.

However, it's obvious that it was added in post-production special effects. With the technology of this era, it was probably achieved through optical compositing or early digital compositing.

Although different from the CGI-generated methods of later generations, they are essentially visual effects added in post-production, and in terms of realism, they cannot compare with the physical effects advocated by Nolan.

However, David still pretended that a white light had appeared there and turned his head to look.