"Put your resume and your photo back-to-back, then staple the four corners."
Click, click, click, click...
Having returned to the apartment from the Kodak lab, Ronald guided Demi in stapling her freshly typed résumé to the back of her 8x10 headshot.
"Then what?" Demi asked once she'd finished stapling the stack.
"Then you hand it to your agent, or directly to the casting director," Ronald explained. "Stapling the four corners is the industry standard. It keeps them from getting separated in a casting pile. If you run out of prints, just take the negatives back to the lab and reprint."
Ronald handed the remaining photos and negative sleeves to the freshly minted Demi Moore. "For an actress your age, you should update your headshots at least once a year, or whenever you drastically change your hairstyle."
"Got it. I'll remember."
"Then my job here is done. If there's nothing else, I'll pack up my lights and head out."
"Oh, wait. I almost forgot." Demi opened her wallet and counted the bills inside. She had a little over forty dollars. "Ronald, I'm so sorry. We agreed on fifty for the two looks, but I only have forty in cash right now. Once I book a few more print ads, I'll pay you the rest."
"What about Freddy?" Ronald asked, nodding toward the living room.
Demi lowered her voice. "Freddy doesn't really want me acting. He thinks it'll make me vain and that I'll leave him for a movie star. So I'm covering this myself."
Seeing the handful of coins left in her wallet, Ronald softened as he knew what it meant to hustle for a dream. "Actually, there's another way we can settle this, Demi."
"What way?" Demi looked at him expectantly, her husky voice carrying a hint of hope.
"I need high-quality photos of actresses to promote my photography business. If you sign a release letting me use your shots as a portfolio display, just for my studio, not for any outside commercial promotion or billboards,I'll waive my fee. You just cover the cost of the film and the rush developing."
As he spoke, Ronald pulled a standard release form from his camera bag and handed it to her.
Demi glanced it over. It was straightforward. "Deal. I'll sign." She signed the paper with a flourish, then handed Ronald the cash to cover the Kodak lab costs.
"Thanks, Demi. You're going to make it in Hollywood."
"Thank you, Ronald. You're a good guy." Demi hugged him again in gratitude.
"Hey, Demi, I'm here! Where's Freddy?" A cheerful, melodious voice echoed from the apartment doorway, the same girl who had yelled up from the pool earlier.
The girl walked into the bedroom and stopped, looking Ronald up and down. "Whoa, Demi, is this your new boyfriend? He's handsome, looks a bit like Superman. Are you planning to be his Lois Lane?"
Ronald nearly tripped over his light stand, quickly waving his hands. "No, I'm not..."
"Hahaha... gotcha." The visitor's soft laughter sounded like a husky whisper in your ear, impossible to forget.
Demi walked over and hugged her. "You're back from France, Nastassja?"
Ronald finally got a clear look at the newcomer.
If Demi's face offered a complex range of expressions perfect for modern film, this girl was the ultimate incarnation of European cinema.
Her face blended the mystique of Golden-Age goddess Greta Garbo, the raw sensuality of Sophia Loren, and a hint of Audrey Hepburn's wide-eyed innocence.
"Oh my God, you look like you belong in a classic literature adaptation," Ronald blurted out in pure aesthetic admiration.
"Actually, I am," she smiled playfully.
"Nastassja, this is Ronald, my photographer," Demi beamed, making the introductions. "Ronald, this is Nastassja Kinski. She's currently shooting Tess for Roman Polanski."
"Tess of the d'Urbervilles?" Ronald asked, recognizing Thomas Hardy's classic novel. "Are you British, Nastassja?"
"German, actually," she replied. "So, how is my Dorset accent? I've been working with a dialect coach for the role. Is it convincing enough?"
Ronald felt a pang of regret that the stunning European actress seemed to be directing her attention mostly to Demi.
She was the star of a massive period picture; she probably already had world-class photographers at her beck and call. He nodded politely and turned back to disassembling his tripod.
"Hold on, Ronald," Demi called out. "My boyfriend said he still needs you." She grabbed two of her enlarged 8x10 prints and handed them to Nastassja. "Look. Ronald took these for me this morning."
Nastassja studied the black-and-white portraits, her eyebrows raising in genuine surprise. She gave Demi a thumbs-up. "These are excellent. Honestly, they capture more life than the magazine photographer who shot my last editorial."
Demi pressed her advantage. "When you finish Tess and come to Hollywood full-time, remember that casting directors run this town. There aren't many headshot photographers better than him." She glanced at Ronald, giving him a subtle wink to show she was drumming up business for him.
Ronald pulled two business cards from his pocket and handed them to Demi and Nastassja.
Nastassja handed the photos back, looking thoughtfully at Ronald. "How much do you charge for a session?"
"Fifty dollars for two looks, a dramatic set and a commercial set. Eighty if you want to add location variations," Ronald said, handing her a price sheet. "But I'm joining the Directors Guild soon, so my availability is going to tighten up."
"You're joining the DGA?" Demi cut in, surprised.
"Yeah. I work for Roger Corman at New World Pictures. I just finished up as the Second Unit Director on Rock 'n' Roll High School."
Seeing their slightly blank looks, Ronald shrugged. "Forget I said anything. It's just a tiny three-hundred-thousand-dollar B-movie."
The girls burst out laughing at his self-deprecation.
Freddy Moore popped his head into the room. He had changed into a sharp red button-down shirt. "Hey, Ronald, can we squeeze in a set of headshots for me, too?" He noticed the visitor. "Hi, Nastassja, you're back!" he said, giving her a quick hug.
"No problem, Freddy," Ronald said, setting his tripod back up. "I actually just helped put the Ramones in Rock 'n' Roll High School. I think rock musicians crossing over into movies is going to be a huge trend in the 80s. Getting your acting portfolio ready early makes sense."
"Great. Let's do it."
Because Freddy couldn't see a thing without his thick black-rimmed glasses, Ronald had him keep them on for the shoot. If he were cast in anything, he'd likely be playing a version of himself anyway.
Demi stood behind Ronald, trying to help her boyfriend relax, but Freddy wasn't a natural model.
He tensed up in front of the lens, his smile forced. Ronald had to spend a solid twenty minutes coaxing natural expressions out of him.
While Ronald worked, Nastassja sat on the edge of the bed, chatting with Demi. "Are there any good new Hollywood movies out? I've been stuck in the French countryside for months."
"Everyone says The Deer Hunter is a masterpiece," Demi said. "A lot of the Academy voters went to see it when it opened."
"The one with Robert De Niro? I heard whispers about it before I left. Did you see it?"
"I couldn't get tickets," Demi sighed. "It only played in one theater in L.A. for exactly seven days. Just to qualify for the Oscars."
"What a shame. When it gets a wide release, we'll go together," Nastassja said, taking Demi's hand. "My agent has sent me piles of Hollywood scripts, but I need your help. I still can't really read English well, I can only speak it."
Ronald chuckled inwardly as he adjusted a light stand. Here's someone the exact opposite of me. I can read the language perfectly, but I had to relearn how to speak it.
"How long are you staying in L.A.?" Demi asked. "Through Christmas?"
"No, just a few days. I fly back right after the New Year. It's awful... the Director of Photography on Tess, Geoffrey Unsworth, died of a heart attack a few weeks ago. The production had to pause while Roman finds a replacement. So the director let me come to the States for a break. After this, I have to go to Germany for some promotional parties."
"Wow. How long is the shoot? You started back in August, right?"
"We'll be shooting until next March, at least. Roman demands absolute perfection. Sometimes we shoot a single scene all day long."
"Eight months to shoot one movie," Ronald mused aloud from behind the camera. "Roger Corman could shoot ten features and a sequel in that time."
Nastassja laughed. "You mentioned I should study the Method if I want to work here, Demi. Where should I take classes?"
"The Actors Studio," Demi said immediately. "Everyone says it's the best."
Authors Note:-
Sorry for being late so a EXTRA CHAPTER.
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