Exploiting Hollywood 1980.

“Does this movie have award potential?”

  Eisner had no doubts about Ronald's vision, and the movie certainly won't lose. But there are doubts about the film's award-winning potential. To do co-distribution, it is not only the distribution costs, but also the costs of public relations, film critics and next year's Oscars. What kind of public relations investment you make and what kind of benefits you can get need to be considered.

  “Does this movie have award-winning potential?

  Katzenberg was questioned by his boss and became angry. He immediately called and asked Ronald the same question.

  "I can't tell. You know I'm still confused about the Oscars. I don't know how to please the judges..." Ronald thought to himself, if I say that such a western film can win the favor of the judges, so will you. I don’t believe it…especially coming from my mouth.

  "We are very willing to jointly distribute this film with you, but the Oscar budget is fixed, and we can only be responsible for part of the normal publicity and public relations expenses. If you want to make additional awards..." Katzenberg said implicitly, Disney is only willing to pay normal money. If you want to claim the prize, you have to pay it yourself.

  "No problem. My public relations consultant has already made good arrangements for Dances with Wolves. It doesn't cost much extra."

  Ronald felt that other people’s considerations were normal. How much money you spend, how much profit you get. It just so happened that he brought some marketing plans from Michael Gray, so he gave a brief introduction to Katzenberg.

  Originally, Ronald was going to rely on daydreaming to publish it himself. The company was small and had little power, so he had to be creative and not spend money on public relations like "Rain Man" did in the past.

  The first is to cooperate with the largest Indian organization, the National Indian Education Association.

  This institution is cross-tribal and cross-regional, aiming to improve the educational level of Indians and preserve Indian culture. In the hearts of Indians and the people, this association that educates children has a much better reputation than other Indian associations.

  Come join them in the hype for the first round of "Dances with Wolves." The first was to promote the Sioux participation in the film. More than one hundred and fifty Sioux were hired as extras.

  In order to truly reflect the Sioux culture, this film did not have white actors put on paint to play the roles of Indians like traditional Hollywood. All of the Indian characters are played by purebred Sioux from the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota.

  Sioux clothing is truly traditional and made of real deerskin. Buffalo hide, feathers and beads are used to create accessories. Kathy Smith, an expert on nineteenth-century Plains Indians from the town of Black Hills, South Dakota, was brought in to consult on costume and production design.

  These contents will first be broadcast on a large scale in Native American radio programs, and then distributed nationwide through radio and television networks. Kathy Smith will be a guest, showcasing the traditional costume culture on TV.

  Kathy Smith was very cooperative. She just needed this to get a university teaching position. It was a win-win situation.

  The second public relations attempt was to cooperate with the Nature Conservancy in America and the World Wildlife Fund, and let Kevin Costner and Mary McDonald shoot public service announcements for them.

  The Nature Conservancy's mission is to protect plants, animals, land and water, and to maintain some of the natural flora and fauna communities that represent biological diversity. This charitable environmental organization is not as famous as the World Wildlife Fund, but it has a good reputation in America. More than 88% of the donations they raised were used for real conservation causes, and only 12% was used for their own operations and staff salaries, which is considered a clean stream among charitable organizations.

  The World Wildlife Fund is even more famous. They have the cutest black and white photo of a giant panda as their emblem. Most children in America know them.

  It just so happens that these two associations also need big Hollywood stars to be their spokespersons. Because the theme of this "Dances with Wolves" is the harmonious coexistence of humans and animals, the Sioux Indian attitude of not killing animals indiscriminately and stopping in moderation is very suitable for the purposes of the two charitable organizations.

  Both parties had publicity needs, and they hit it off immediately. The two actors wore Sioux costumes and used the Sioux concept of harmonious coexistence to promote environmental protection and animal protection.

  The third public relations attempt was to cooperate with the PBS station where Helen Slater's father worked, to produce a documentary about Indians and early American pioneers, "Searching for the American Frontier."

  The so-called American frontier was the slogan of America's mainstream narrative during the westward expansion movement. In the first half of this century, the public had been immersed in Hollywood Western movies all year round, and it can be said that they have developed a conditioned reflex to this slogan. When you hear it, you will think of cowboys, the West, defeating the Apaches who are accustomed to scalping among the Indian tribes, or the Comanche tribe, exchanging supplies with the peaceful Sioux tribe at cheap prices to make a fortune, and finally taking the beauty home, etc. plot.

  This slogan is so deeply rooted in the hearts of the people that in the most influential TV series "Star Trek" among American science fiction fans, Captain Kirk's famous saying is "Space, the final frontier, this is the mission of the Enterprise"

  The spirit of exploring strange new worlds, looking for new life and new civilizations, and bravely going to places where no one has gone before has also been moved to the commercial battlefield and has become America's most iconic spiritual force.

  The documentary series "Rediscovering China" hosted by Helen received favorable reviews after being released on PBS. Gerald Slater is ready to strike while the iron is hot and shoot documentaries about all civilizations in the world. The second series following China is about the many indigenous tribes in America.

  This documentary borrows the concept of "American Frontier", but is shot from the perspective of the Indians, which is consistent with the purpose of "Dances with Wolves".

  In addition to guest appearances by Kevin Costner and Mary McDonough. Daydream Pictures also held a lottery to award five lucky viewers who watched the documentary a seven-day in-depth tour of an indigenous village in southwest America worth US$[-].

  The official draw will be on the scheduled release date of "Dances with Wolves". In addition to sightseeing, there are also opportunities to get up close and personal with celebrities. Kevin Costner still has a lot of fans among female audiences, and this event received a lot of registration letters.

  Katzenberg was relieved when he heard this. With this approach of spending a small amount of money to do big things, it seems that Ronald did not spend too much energy on public relations for the Oscars. I would not become a laughing stock because I missed the Oscar, so I immediately signed the joint distribution agreement.

  "Your plan is really good. It's not like the big studios I've worked for, which have one purpose - to ask for money.

  "Happy cooperation, Mr. Katzenberg." Ronald took the agreement and handed it to Michelle Cannold beside him.

  He turned back to get his coat and cursed in his heart, "If I had money and resources like you, could I still think of doing public relations in this way? Although the free page is good, it is completely out of control. How many times can it be published? , what page should it be on? How many minutes can the TV host give? How many times can it be replayed? It’s not like you Disney, where the money is in place and you can say it as many times as you want.”

  ……

  "We are very happy to invite Tantu Cardinal and Rodney Grant, two Sioux Indian actors. They are actors in the new film 'Dances with Wolves' that has just been completed. I heard that this In the movie, you were naked... riding a horse? Right?" The fat host was making the opening remarks of the show in a New York studio.

  "Hahaha..." The audience was amused and laughed.

  The talk show of Richie Lake, Ronald's former assistant, invited two Sioux actors from "Dances with Wolves" to come on the show today. It was a side joke from the beginning. Because the Sioux Indian warriors in the movie all ride bareback horses. There are many jokes about Indian horseback riding in America, and Lake's is the most famous one. "Actually, we are all wearing traditional tribal clothing. The so-called light... riding horses is all a rumor."

  The two Indian-origin actors pretended to be serious and refuted the rumors, and then laughed together. The atmosphere at the scene was very good.

  "I heard that the star and director of this movie, Kevin Costner, respects Indian customs very much. All the costumes, decorations, customs, and houses are based on the Sioux traditions of South Dakota?" Lake Start to praise the movie. Anyway, in this kind of program, you can't spoil it, you can only praise it from surrounding places.

  Fortunately, the public relations tone set by Ronald and others is from the perspective of respecting customs. This kind of guiding question, hello, me, hello, everyone.

  "No, actually there are some inaccuracies..."

  In the movie, Rodney Grant plays the most powerful warrior among the Sioux tribe, Scattered in the Wind. He smoothed his long shawl hair and said something that didn't follow the script.

  "Ah? Is there any inaccuracy? Can you tell me?" Rich Lake liked this kind of performance very much. If it were all according to the script, the audience would not like it most. Such a controversial answer is fun.

  "You will be able to see the movie in two months. If you don't want to wait that long, you can go watch the screening next month." Rodney Grant did not forget to promote the release date of "Dances with Wolves" .

  "In the movie, there is a Sioux child who made a mistake and was afraid that his father would punish him by "breaking a bow on his back."

  "Why, isn't this in line with the punishment of the Sioux?" Rich Lake asked. The audience, which was mainly young people, loved this kind of strange news and gossip.

  "No, we Sioux people will never beat our children. Only the Pani people will do this..."

  "Hahaha, oh oh..." The teenage audience at the scene was very happy when they heard this. Although there are laws to prevent child abuse, mild corporal punishment is still allowed in many states. The young audience at the scene and in front of the TV resonated with it.

  Rich Lake's talk show was so well-watched that night that it was aired in daytime reruns on national television networks the next day. At night, Ronald received a complaining call from David Letterman.

  "Ronald, I thought we were good friends."

  "Of course..." Ronald was confused.

  "Then why don't you let your people do interviews on my show?" David Letterman is now very eager for all kinds of programs that can boost ratings.

  "Hey, I wish I could be on your show..." Ronald thought he had offended his old friend somewhere. It would be a great thing to be on Letterman's Late Show.

  "Let your two Indian actors come and do a show at my place!" Letterman named Tanto Cardinal and Rodney Grant.

  "Huh? I thought you were going to invite Kevin..." Now Ronald didn't understand why Letterman didn't invite a big star like Kevin Costner, but instead invited two supporting actors?

  "They are not Indians, and they react quickly. The audience will like it." David Letterman insisted on them.

  "Okay, but can you tell me why?" Of course Ronald wanted to be on Letterman's Late Show to promote the movie, but he also vaguely felt that he had caught some kind of breakthrough in publicity.

  "Don't you know? There is a fierce debate in Congress now on a piece of legislation targeting the indigenous Indians..."

  Good guy, Ronald really doesn’t know about this hot social issue. The name of this bill is called "Indian Arts and Crafts Act". In fact, it is a piece of legislation related to advertising.

  Native Americans, in the minds of ordinary Americans, are a mysterious, ancient, and incompatible group of people. In the [-]s, many businessmen borrowed this impression and began selling Indian jewelry, pottery, baskets, stone statues, woven carpets, clothing and other items.

  The economy is developing very well, and these things that can decorate the room are very popular among housewives. Indian herbal medicine is an old product that enhances male ability with a history of one or two hundred years. As long as these products bear the Indian name, sales will often increase a lot.

  This caused dissatisfaction among the chiefs of many Indian tribes. According to the reservation laws of the year, the chiefs owned the property rights of each tribe, which was equivalent to taking money out of their pockets.

  Therefore, after years of struggle, it was finally put on the legislative agenda this year. The scope of this bill is very broad, and will be regulated as long as the packaging or advertising implies that products are made by Indians, Indian products, or specific Indian tribal arts and crafts organizations.

  All Indian products produced after [-] (previously considered antiques and not subject to supervision) must be Indians registered by the government or craftsmen recognized by Indian tribes before they can be named Indian.

  The penalties are also severe, and individuals who violate the act for the first time may face civil or criminal fines of up to $25, five years in prison, or both. If a business violates the act, it could face civil penalties or be sued and fined up to $100 million.

  Unexpectedly, Ronald quickly arranged for two Indian actors to appear on David Letterman's show. The two also put on traditional Indian costumes and sang their representative song "Come And Get Your Love" live with the current members of the famous Indian rock band Redbone. .

  The show was so effective that the two actors received many more offers.

  The current Indian legislation has caused a wave of enthusiasm for Indian culture among the people, but there are not many TV programs about Indian culture that can be broadcast on TV stations.

  Seeing this situation, Ronald and Michael Gray discussed it and simply re-edited many tribal costumes, residences, and hunting scenes in the documentary film "Dances with Wolves" that was originally planned to be broadcast after the movie was released. The cultural content is sent to major TV stations in advance without spoiling it.

  For a time, "Dances with Wolves" had gained some popularity even before it was released.