On Christmas Eve morning, Ronald walked out of his apartment.
Then, he bought two Hollywood professional newspapers, "Daily Variety" and "The Hollywood Reporter", and a copy of the Los Angeles Times at a newsstand not far from the apartment.
"Merry Christmas!"
"Merry Christmas!"
After greeting the stall owner, Ronald read the newspaper on his way home. He wanted to study three newspapers and put some portrait photography ads in them.
Ronald flipped through two professional newspapers, but there were few ads. He thought the price was not cheap and he could not afford it. He picked up the Los Angeles Times and flipped to the classified ads.
There was a thick stack of classified ads. These columns were for individuals to post, and each person had only a piece of stamp-sized advertisement. Weddings, obituaries, marriage proposals, and finally, he turned to the service page.
"Hollywood portrait photographer, $120, available on the same day."
"10 years of experience in portrait photography, good at guiding expression"
"If you are good looking, have cash, and would like a casting photo, please call..."
…
Ronald thinks the market is good and there is great potential.
After finding the classified ad hotline, Ronald found a phone booth and called the number to inquire about the address of the nearest agency office. It wasn't far away, so Ronald simply walked there.
As he walked, he flipped through the Daily Variety, a newspaper that specializes in reporting on Hollywood. The content was, of course, filled with gossip about a certain crew starting filming, rumors of a disagreement between the female lead and the director on a certain crew, a certain male actor falling in love with a female actress in the same drama and openly going out together, and so on.
"Jane Fonda film sparks controversy. Is it appropriate for married women to cheat in movies?"
That's what this year's blockbuster "Coming Home" is all about.
Jane Fonda plays the wife of a Vietnam War officer in the film. While her husband is serving in Vietnam, she has an affair with her former high school crush, now a disabled soldier, while still wearing her wedding ring.
Ronald remembered that Aunt Karen didn't like the movie very much and complained on the phone that Jane Fonda tarnished the honor of the wives of Vietnam War soldiers.
"The Deer Hunter has been critically acclaimed. Can it win an early lead in the Oscar nomination race?"
This is about the new film "The Deer Hunter" that Demi Moore wants to see. Reports say that the film was released only for seven days on purpose to meet the minimum screening requirements for participating in the Oscars.
Not many people have seen the film, people just talk about it. It seems that only those who have connections and friends and are real insiders have seen the movie.
This is marketing, raising the audience's expectations. Ronald secretly admired it. Now, the movie has great word-of-mouth, and it is likely to be nominated for an Oscar.
When he arrived at the agency that posted the classified ads, Ronald asked the price and bought four connected locations in a row.
"What do you want to publish? You can write it here," the staff member handed over a piece of paper.
Ronald picked up the pencil.
"Full member of the Directors Guild, explaining how to take audition photos to get the attention of the director."
"I have worked as a screenwriter, assistant director, and still photographer, and am very experienced."
"Contrary to popular belief, the prettier the audition photo is, the better."
"Indoors or outdoors? Black and white or color? Explaination in detail."
"The basic package is $99, and the upgraded package is $149."
"Please call for details..."
"Can we show you a photo?" Ronald asked.
"Yes, but only in black and white."
Ronald took out a small reprint of Demi Moore's photo and handed it to the staff, "Put it in the upper left corner. The text starts below the photo."
The staff member took the photo and asked, "How many days do you want to post it?"
"Three days."
It was a holiday, people were at home, and more people would read the newspaper. Also, there were fewer weddings on Christmas, so there were many empty spaces in the newspaper. Ronald wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to publish the ad for three days in a row.
Ronald returned to the apartment with the receipt from the staff, which showed the publication date of the advertisement.
It's Christmas Eve, and Ronald phoned Aunt Karen, then finds he has nowhere to go.
Thinking that after the advertisement was published, many people might call to inquire, and as he would go back to work to learn editing after the vacation, Ronald considered whether to buy an answering machine.
He took out the phone book and found the phone number of RadioShack. The staff at RadioShack said the cheapest one would cost $1,000, which scared Ronald so much that he hung up the phone immediately.
This money is good for hiring someone to answer the phone.
While he was thinking about my business, Mrs. Weber from next door knocked on the door, "Ronald, are you there? Come to my house for Christmas dinner today. I made turkey."
Mrs. Weber is also a single mother. Her daughter is in the 12th grade of high school. Mrs. Weber used to work as a waitress in a restaurant, and now she works as a secretary in a small company. With similar family backgrounds, Mrs. Weber and Ronald often talk with each other. Knowing that Ronald was alone in Los Angeles, she invited him to have Christmas dinner together on Christmas Eve.
Ronald was very happy because he had nowhere to go today.
Cameron went home to spend time with his wife, Sharon. This workaholic usually doesn't come home, and his wife is very dissatisfied. Gale went back to her parents' home. Ronald's other colleagues and friends were also locals in Los Angeles. Ronald was not familiar with them to that extent, so he didn't receive an invitation to the family dinner and couldn't go.
He was invited to various parties for young people, but Ronald didn't want to go. Alcohol and drug abuse being prevalent in these parties made him avoid them as much as possible.
He went out and bought a bottle of red wine, wrapped it in a paper bag, and gave it to Mrs. Weber as a gift.
When he entered the room, Mrs. Weber was coming out of the kitchen carrying a roast chicken. Ronald stepped forward to help. The three of them sat down at the dining table.
"Thank you, lord, for our food, for us to rest in peace,
for the home where memories linger,
we express our gratitude for these."
Mrs. Webb began to say her prayers, folding her hands and praying to God.
"Amen," Ronald and his daughter responded, and the three of them crossed themselves and began to eat Christmas dinner.
"Ronald, what have you been doing lately? I see you're rarely home."
After the meal, Mrs. Weber brought coffee and the three of them chatted while waiting for the TV station to broadcast its annual Christmas Eve program: the movie "It's a Wonderful World".
"I'm working on a film crew, but next I'm going to start a portrait photography business. Once I make enough money, I might go to college. It depends on the admission result in February next year."
"Ronnie, can you take pictures? Can you take one for me?" asked Mrs. Weber's daughter.
"Sure, come to my apartment tomorrow with your mom and I'll take a picture of both of you."
"You're very kind, Ronald," said Mrs. Webb.
"It's nothing, we are working people. So we need to help each other."
"Yes, we need to help each other," Mrs. Weber nodded. "We are from very close places. My family is in New Jersey, very close to Staten Island."
"Really? That's a coincidence." Ronald picked up the coffee and took a sip.
"Yes, actually, your Staten Island is closer to New Jersey, and there is an interstate highway connecting it. However, to get from Staten to Manhattan, you still have to take a ferry."
"Yeah... a few years ago, Aunt Karen took me to Manhattan by ferry to see a doctor. Donna also insisted on going, which made Aunt Karen very distressed..." Ronald thought of the past, and suddenly his heart moved. He looked at Mrs. Weber's daughter, a girl who was already in the 12th grade.
"Mrs. Weber, I put an advertisement for portrait photography in the newspaper, but I don't have a suitable operator. During the holiday, would your daughter be willing to be my temporary operator? I can pay you $5 a day."
"What do I need to do?" the little girl asked eagerly.
"All you have to do is write down the name and phone number of the person who called while I'm taking the picture, and I'll call them back when I'm done taking the picture."
Mrs. Weber thought about it and agreed. If her daughter worked in a fast food restaurant, she could earn the minimum wage of $2.65 an hour, but it would be much harder.
The next day, Christmas, was the time for his classified ads.
Ronald got up early and turned the living room into a reception and front desk. He put a table on it, pulled out the phone, spread out a large notebook on the table, and placed two ballpoint pens beside it. Everything was ready.
Ronald took out copies of Demi Moore and Nastassja Kinski's audition photos, framed them in a wooden frame, and placed them on the table, repeatedly adjusting their positions to ensure that customers would see them at first sight when they entered the room.
The daughter of Mrs. Weber, the neighbor, also came to help. It was her first day at work. As a high school student, she really wanted to be called Miss Weber. She picked up the phone and put it down again, imitating it many times.
"Good morning, this is Ronald Portrait Photography Studio." Ronald taught the little girl how to say it and then asked her to practice it a few times.
Just after 9:50, calls started coming in. Ronald signaled Miss Weber not to move, and he would answer the first call himself...
"Ring, ring, ring…"