New World Pictures was a Film house which specialized in low-budget films, churning them out like sausages. Rock 'n' Roll High School had a shooting schedule of only three weeks...eighteen days, minus Sundays.
Speed was the only religion and there was no "grace period" after a cut. You reset, you reloaded, you went again.
The crew, veterans of the Roger Corman school of filmmaking, moved with mechanical efficiency.
Without needing Ronald's order, three young grips began dismantling the camera from the jib. The red-haired First AC (Assistant Camera) mounted the fluid head on the tripod, and together they secured the camera for the next setup.
Wardrobe and makeup descended on Dey Young, powder puffs flying like small clouds.
Ronald picked up the megaphone.
"Moving on! Next setup!"
The next scene was the entrance of the protagonist, Riff Randell, played by P.J. Soles. In this scene, Riff puts a Ramones record on a turntable in the schoolyard, while her brainy friend Kate Rambeau (Dey Young) hacks the school's PA system.
Once the switch is flipped, Ramones punk rock blasts through every speaker on campus.
Jim Cameron took charge of the logistics. "Turntable goes here. Wires for Dey go there. Sound department, hook up the playback speakers!"
Leaving the heavy lifting to Jim, Ronald went to discuss the scene with P.J. Soles.
P.J. was a slender energy bomb, dressed in the outfit Ronald had selected: a red jacket with a black-and-white polka dot collar, tight leather pants, and Converse sneakers. It was the quintessential 1978 punk look.
"Looking sharp, P.J.," Ronald said. "You look explosive."
"Hey, Ronnie," she grinned, adjusting her collar. "How's the view from the director's chair?"
"Not bad. Maybe I should get an autograph later, proof of my brief reign."
"Hah! You're doing great. So, for my entrance..."
"Right. Have you thought about how to capture the audience's attention instantly?"
"Oh, totally. I want to establish Riff's energy immediately. I was thinking of bouncing into frame, really high energy..."
Ronald nodded sagely. Her idea matched the footage from his dream exactly. His lack of directing experience was being saved by his "premonition."
"Perfect," Ronald said. "Let's do exactly that."
Jim jogged over. "Set is dressed. We're ready."
Ronald led the actresses to their marks.
This was a wide shot. Dean Cundey, the Director of Photography, suggested a technique to speed things up.
"Let's shoot hyperfocal," Cundey said.
The First AC checked his lens markings and did the mental math. "Five meters. Anything beyond five meters is in focus."
Hyperfocal distance meant setting the focus ring to a specific point where everything from half that distance to infinity would be acceptably sharp. It eliminated the need for precise focus pulling on moving actors. It was a favorite trick of low-budget filmmakers: it was fast, and it rarely failed.
Ronald nodded. "Let's do it."
He stepped back seven paces. He signaled Jim.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! The air horn blasted.
"Quiet on set! We are rolling!"
"Scene 128, Shot 1, Take 1." CLACK.
"Action!"
P.J. Soles burst into motion. She slapped the vinyl onto the turntable and hit the button with a flourish. The camera panned to Dey Young, who "connected" two prop wires, sparks flying (courtesy of a small pyrotechnic charge).
Ronald signaled the sound mixer. Playback!
The Ramones' Do You Wanna Dance? blasted from the massive speakers. The opening drums kicked in... badadump, badadump!
"Cut!" Ronald yelled.
He felt like a traffic cop. P.J knew exactly what to do; Dean Cundey made it look beautiful. Ronald's only job was to make sure it matched the movie in his head.
I'm just a temporary director, he thought. But hey, it's working.
"How was that, Dean?"
"Clean," Cundey replied.
"Safety take?"
"You're the boss."
"Let's go again! One for safety!"
By the time they wrapped the shot, the sun had fully breached the horizon. The magical, shadowless light of dawn was fading fast.
Ronald checked the schedule. Next up: The Principal comes out to yell at the students, causing them to scatter in panic.
"One more shot before break!" Ronald announced. "We need the wide shot of the panic."
He gathered the extras in the center of the playground.
"Mr. Cundey, is this enough bodies?"
Cundey frowned through the viewfinder. "It looks sparse. We need more density."
"Everyone in!" Ronald shouted. "PAs, wardrobe, makeup! If you're not operating a camera, put on a jacket and get in the back row!"
He herded twenty crew members into the background. At this distance, no one would notice their age or lack of 70s fashion.
"Sound... Speed... Action!"
"And... SCATTER!" Ronald yelled.
The crowd broke apart, running in random directions away from the "principal."
"Cut!"
Ronald frowned. "It felt slow. What do you think, Dean?"
"Yeah. And they're just running out of the nearest frame edge. It's over in two seconds. Not enough chaos."
Jim Cameron stepped in. "What if we undercrank it?"
Dean Cundey raised an eyebrow. "You want that silent movie look?"
"Exactly," Jim said, lowering his voice for Ronald. "Undercranking. We shoot at 18 or 20 frames per second instead of 24. When we project it at normal speed, everyone moves faster. Like Keystone Cops. It fits the tone."
"Director?" Cundey asked, deferring to Ronald.
"Let's do it," Ronald decided. "Undercrank to 20 frames. And I have an idea for the chaos."
He walked into the crowd of extras.
"Okay, listen up! We're going to try a 'Correctional Facility Scramble.' Using me as the center line: everyone on my left, you run to the right. Everyone on my right, you run to the left."
He walked back to the camera.
"Rehearsal?" Jim asked.
"No," Ronald grinned. "I want the collision. Roll camera."
"Scene 129, Take 1."
"Action!"
"SCATTER!"
The mass of bodies surged. Because they were crossing paths, they slammed into each other, dodging, weaving, and screaming. It was pure, unchoreographed pandemonium.
"Cut!" Ronald yelled, satisfied. "That was beautiful!"
He turned to Cundey. "We should call the office. Call Roger."
"Yeah," Cundey said, checking the harsh sunlight. "Magic hour is dead anyway."
"Thirty minute break!" Jim announced. "Set up for the next scene!"
Ronald and Dean Cundey walked to the Principal's office, which they were using as a green room. Ronald picked up the heavy rotary phone.
He dialed the number for New World Pictures.
Click-whirrr... Click-whirrr...
"Good morning, New World Pictures."
The voice was crisp and professional.
"Is that Gale? This is Ronald from the Rock 'n' Roll High School set."
"Ronnie? You're calling early. If I hadn't come in to prep contracts, nobody would be here. What's wrong?"
Gale Anne Hurd, Roger Corman's executive assistant, was a force of nature. She did everything from answering phones to scouting locations. She was twenty-three going on forty.
"Is Roger in?" Ronald asked, keeping his voice steady. "We have an emergency. Dean Cundey is right here with me. Allen collapsed on set. Joe Dante took him to the hospital. We are currently without a director."
There was a pause.
"Don't panic," Gale said instantly. "I'll get Roger. Stay by the phone. Do not leave."
Ronald hung up. He leaned against the desk, looking at the veteran cinematographer.
"So, Mr. Cundey," Ronald asked quietly. "What do you think really happened? Why wouldn't Joe let the paramedics handle it? Why did he have to drive him personally?"
Dean Cundey looked at the door, ensuring it was closed. He sighed.
"You really want to know?"
Authors Note:-
Well that's chapter 7.
Enjoy.
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