Chapter 57

After a week of adaptation and welcome, Ronald officially began his academic career at NYU's Diese School of the Arts.

Roger Coleman helped director Martin Scorsese to shoot the film in Los Angeles. The film and television appreciation class he taught at Dise would be postponed, and Ronald still signed up for the class.

The other courses are film theory, picture editing, sound editing. Ronald signed up for these three courses based on his own preferences and previous work in the New World.

I chose sound editing because I was going to the Diorama Company in San Francisco next summer to study with Walter Murkey. Ronald wanted to lay a little foundation, and when he went to study in San Francisco, he should have learned more knowledge and skills.

The first class in school is film and television theory. All undergraduate students majoring in film and television art come to the class. Ronald took a front seat, and an old man with gray hair walked in.

He was the lecturer, a professor of Greek descent. The old man threw the information on the table and let out a sigh of "Alas".

"This year, dozens of fools have come to study film and television. Two weeks before the start of the semester, you can ask for a refund, so that you can get back all the tuition fees, and then quickly apply for a transfer or transfer to a major that can make money. Well. If two weeks pass, this year's tuition will be paid in vain."

"Huh?" Ronald is a little weird, is this a stand-up comedy show? How could the teacher persuade him to quit in the first class.

Dozens of students didn't dare to believe the professor who persuaded him to quit, and everyone kept silent, waiting for the old man's next reversal.

"I know it's hard for you to accept it, but the film industry is dying. Although there are employment opportunities in TV, they are all occupied by related households. What can you do when you go? Studio assistants and camera assistants can do it with a high school degree. If you know the industry You can also be an actor of any star, so don’t waste your time here.”

There is no inversion! Really discouraged.

"Coax..." The students finally couldn't help themselves and began to discuss loudly.

A student stood up and questioned the old man's statement: "Sir, why do you despise the film so much? As the seventh art, it was America who carried him forward. We all have a film dream, so we came to Diese Art Academy to study film and television. , what's the use of saying that?"

The old man was very relieved and nodded:

"It's a very good thing that you have a dream. But film and television shouldn't be taught in college, but on the set. In the 1960s, New York University on the east coast, Columbia University on the east coast, Southern California and Los Angeles on the west coast. In UC, they all started to offer film majors, but that’s just nonsense. It’s enough to give undergraduates a degree in film and television appreciation in college, so what kind of film and television major should I open?”

The old man was angry and out of place, and he continued:

"Did you know that in 1929, more than 95 million people in the United States went to movie theaters every week? That was the golden age of the movie industry. Four-fifths of the population of the United States went to the movie theater at least once a week."

The faces of the students softened a little, this is what a professor at the film and television academy should say. Cinema is undoubtedly a great art.

"Do you know what that number is today?"

The students looked at each other and didn't know the exact number.

A nerdy-looking student raised his hand and asked to speak.

"No, don't raise your hand, do you have an answer?" the old man asked the student.

"America's population is now about 220 million. Now people don't go to the movies that much, and everyone watches TV at home. We divide the population ratio by 2, and then multiply by the total population. It should still be around 90 million."

"Ha, you should be a scientist, not learn filmmaking." The old man started to attack again.

"Your observation is actually quite accurate, in the group of teenagers, especially male teenagers,

Weekly movie attendance remains high, so your observations are relatively accurate and your reasoning is strong. But you forgot an important question. "

"You forget, adults don't watch movies anymore. Especially your moms, there are no movies made for them in the cinema, and now housewives are watching soap operas at home."

The old man glanced around the students, then cut off his hand and made a forceful gesture.

“Only 20 million people in the U.S. go to movie theaters every week, or one-tenth of the population. In a fast-shrinking market, what’s the use of doing the best you can? Like cars replacing horse-drawn carriages, the last Companies that make wagon wheels, their market share is getting higher and higher, and their products are also very good, but in the end they are dead.”

"What about the TV? You said just now that many people watch TV," the nerdy student asked again.

"What skills does TV need? It's just a few cameras, and then the director switches. The perspective of the protagonist A, the perspective of the protagonist B, the panorama, do you still need to learn? No one makes movies as meticulously as Hollywood did. It's all sharks, astronauts, and selling toys."

The old man shook his head again.

"You don't come from a millionaire family, so let's change to a major that can make money. There are only three ways to study film and television, making TV commercials, making factory teaching films, and making documentaries. Gao, might as well go into real estate sales.”

As the old man spoke to himself, the students below felt a chill in their hearts. Ronald is also a little discouraged, is it wrong to come to the university to study? Wouldn't it be better to work hard with Cameron in the production of the new world? Maybe I can become an assistant director now and make progress in the industry.

"You remember my words, there are still two weeks, you can regret the refund. After two weeks, you can only get a partial refund. Of course, unless your father is a millionaire or a Hollywood movie star."

The old man finally stepped onto the podium and began to lecture.

"Film is an art that is about to die, and we are now taking an archaeology course on film. Tell us about those great films, you can also listen to them, and know the heights of the films in the past. Then look at the present You decide for yourself whether you want to quit or not.”

The old man began to give a formal lecture, film archaeology... no, it was film theory.

"We've all heard a word - Auteur, the new wave of hair-haired people proposed that only one director, who has mastered all aspects of the film, especially the final decision on editing, can be called a creator - Auteur... But before that, did Hollywood have no classic movies? Of course not..."

Ronald didn't listen to the content of the old man's lecture very much, and was thinking about things like everyone else. Although it's a bit strange for the teacher to persuade him to quit, what he said does sound reasonable. When an industry is booming, everyone is rising, and when the industry declines, only a few people can eat enough.

The key is, are you one of the few?

The recession of the industry also means that there are fewer opportunities for newcomers. Do you still have a chance to succeed?

Joining a trade union has become a difficult task now. Thinking back to when the movie was prosperous, the established rules for joining a trade union might not have been harsh at that time.

After class, two or three students rushed to the college office to transfer departments and refund fees. The rest are also discussing whether to change majors.

Ronald sat alone for a while, but he should ask more experienced seniors to learn more about it.