Exploiting Hollywood 1980.

Chapter 1323 The more stars involved in the production, the better
No one could answer Ovitz's question. The special contract signed by Spielberg had become an open secret within CAA.

This kind of brokerage firm is actually very similar to law firms and accounting firms in that each person is actually a small brokerage firm. They get together and cooperate temporarily just because of certain benefits. It is not like a factory where workers cannot produce without machines.

The reason why Ovitz had such a high influence within CAA before was mainly because he was able to provide more casting opportunities to young agents and help their clients get higher pay, which meant that the agents could get higher commissions.

It's just that the studios hate Ovitz's package deal. Before, he monopolized nearly half of the Hollywood stars, but everyone dared not speak out. Now that the contracts signed by several directors have been leaked, everyone knows that Ovitz is more or less a paper tiger.

Tom Cruise's own production company has become a touchstone. Can they bypass Ovitz and deal directly with his star agents? If CAA is not of the same mind, then they are no different from ordinary agencies.

Other stars also see this as a test. Although CAA can package new projects for some old stars, and put some second-tier stars in package contracts to strongly improve their rank, first-tier stars are not very fond of the package practice.

The reason is actually very simple. The quality of casting directly affects the overall quality of the film. The reason why United Artists, Orion, and Daydream have been able to win Oscars and achieve box office success is that they respect the director's creative leadership.

This method can select the most suitable candidates, rather than the most obedient actors of CAA. Of course, this method will also make the quality of the entire film depend on the ability and integrity of the director, and there will be more failures than successes.

CAA's packaging method can only produce a movie with an 80-point score, but it will not fail. From a commercial perspective, CAA's method may be able to better guarantee a return on investment, but first-line stars don't want these, they want to go to the next level and leave their names in film history.

The new Cruise/Wagner Films desperately needed a distribution contract from a major studio, and Ovitz used many of his connections to sabotage the partnership.

A-list stars need big productions, of course, but it is impossible for a medium-sized company like Daydream to release movies during the peak season. Only large studios can afford the investment and risk of booking movies a year in advance during those periods.

For a time, Paula Wagner and Ovitz both appeared on the meeting lists of presidents and CEOs of major film studios, and it remained to be seen who would win.

This matter was a civil war between two Jews, and most of the top executives of the major film studios were also Jewish. Ronald could not intervene, but many people came to him for information.

……

"Really? You really want to set up your own production company and work directly with big studios?" Kevin Costner's eyes were filled with desire for money.

If his production company had directly partnered with major studios for the two previous films, "JFK" and "Dances with Wolves", the profits from the film dividends would have been many times more than they are now.

"You can try to negotiate first. I tell you, this kind of thing depends on how much leverage you have."

"What do you mean?" Costner avoided a black female star next to him and discussed the key things with Ronald in a low voice. He knew that what Ronald was going to tell him might be a secret worth tens of millions of dollars.

“Do you know why the studios are willing to let the director’s studio participate in the investment of the film and share the profits with them?”

"I've always wanted to know..." Although Kevin Costner won the Oscar for Best Director, he is actually an actor. When talking about some secrets of being a director, he was also confused.

"Because no one in this industry knows why a movie becomes a hit..." Ronald whispered to him the biggest secret of Hollywood.

Because no one knows why a movie is a hit, studios can't mass-produce hits.

Unlike Coca-Cola, where you can make millions of cans of it once you figure out a formula, movies are a mass entertainment product. You finally find a formula, but you can only sell it once. It's impossible to remake the original movie many times and still have people willing to watch it.

The only way to continue the successful formula and continue to produce hit movies is to shoot sequels. However, the original stars in the sequels will definitely take advantage of the situation and increase their prices, and no one can maintain the original profits.

Therefore, the best approach for those studio executives is to find some alternative formulas to try to increase their success rate.

Some people like to make certain types of films, such as Universal Studios’ previous series of youth films. However, not every film of this type can be a hit, and the audience’s tastes are constantly changing.

Some people like to rely on one or two successful directors and keep letting them shoot the type of films they are best at. For example, Universal's Sheinberg must tie up Spielberg to shoot science fiction films.

Others like to tie up with stars, such as MGM, which always used the superstar strategy. Piling up big stars will always be a hit, but it may not necessarily make money.

The most brilliant one was probably Michael Eisner during his time at Paramount. His tactic was to take credit for the work of his subordinates. He himself could not identify which movies would be box office hits, but his group of producers were experts in this area, so he just gave them the autonomy to choose projects.

If Kevin Costner wants to take the lead in a project, he can only go the route of star bundling. That is to build his own star brand and make him the first in a certain type of movie protagonist. Whenever there is such a big production, he is the first candidate.

The most suitable image for him is undoubtedly the old-school image of traditional Hollywood, quick to act but slow to speak. It is the kind of role that makes people feel at ease at first glance, knowing that it is the kind of role that the protagonist will appear in. Of course, his image is more subtle. Unlike Jimmy Stewart, the original spokesperson for this type of role, who is right-leaning, Costner's image is mixed with a lot of centrist colors that agree with the ideas of former President Ronald Sr.

So, with such a role and such a script, when the big studios came to negotiate with him, Costner was in a very advantageous position. If he agreed, it would be one of the biggest productions in Hollywood. If he didn't agree, the studio could only look for a substitute with a lower level of influence, and could only cut costs and make it a medium-sized production.

With this irreplaceable monopoly, you have bargaining chips and can gain a very advantageous position in negotiations with the production studio.

Kevin Costner originally only had some vague and intuitive understanding, but when Ronald said this, it was as if he had suddenly realized something. He patted Ronald on the shoulder and said, "This is the second time you have pointed out the direction of the future for me... Hahahaha, I will never forget it..."

The first time he mentioned was when he was chosen by Ronald to star in the small science fiction production "Night of the Comet".

"Hahaha, people need friends in Hollywood..." Ronald also laughed. He did this not out of kindness, but because he needed more stars like Tom Cruise to stand up and break Ovitz's monopoly and directly contact the studio. The more stars like this, the weaker Ovitz's packaging strategy would be. Although there are too many Jews in Hollywood, as long as everyone has their own project company, they can better fight for their own interests by dividing their interests.

"What are you talking about? You look so happy?" The black female star next to them heard their laughter and hurried over.

"Hello, let me introduce you. This is the great director, my mentor, Director Ronald Lee. This is Whitney Houston, who is here to audition with me today for the leading role in my new film..."

"Ha, I've heard your songs, they're very nice." Ronald looked at the black singer and sized her up carefully. Her appearance was really suitable for making movies.

Most singers don’t have very good facial lines, otherwise they would definitely choose to be an actress. For example, Madonna, who wanted to be an actress, has a gap in her front teeth. In fact, it is only suitable to be photographed from a certain angle. You can still find a little bit of Marilyn Monroe’s charm, but from another angle, she is just an ordinary Italian girl.

There are also those who just can't be photographed from any angle, for example, the now popular Paula Abdul is old now, and her weight has skyrocketed due to her uncontrolled eating. No matter how she is photographed, she looks like an old lady.

Whitney Houston's body shape is very similar to that of a movie actor, and her facial lines can be photographed in close-up shots. She is one of those black stars who is more in line with the aesthetics of white people. She will not lose most of the audience if she plays a leading role.

"What? How about it? Can I be a movie star like Madonna?" When Whitney Houston saw Ronald looking at her, she straightened her waist, turned her body halfway, and showed off her most attractive buttocks.

"Of course you're better suited for the role than Barbra Streisand..."

Ronald still doesn't forget to tease the Jewish star.

Kevin Costner's next film was originally written for Barbra Streisand and Steve McQueen. When Lawrence Kasdan wrote it, he was targeting these two stars. A singer and a tough guy, it would be best if they both played themselves.

In 1975, the movie script was sold for $20,000. But perhaps because it was too cheap, both stars, Barbara and Steve, were not interested in it and turned to film other movies.

In 1987, the film was recommended to Diana Ross and Ryan O'Neal, also a singer and a tough guy.

This time, Lawrence Kasdan was invited to direct the film himself. Just when the project was going smoothly, Diana Ross's marriage to her first husband Robert Ellis Silberstein came to an end.

Diana Ross, exhausted by her divorce, withdrew from the project, which also caused the film to be shelved.

Due to the special nature of the script, no one was interested in it except singers and tough guys. The script was shelved until 1985. At this time, Kasdan was no longer interested in directing the film, but the script was picked up by a tough guy and a singer, namely Whitney Houston and Clint Eastwood.

Unexpectedly, the script was shelved again because of Eastwood, and Houston's road to becoming a movie star was interrupted.

Until recently, Kevin Costner, the new generation of western tough guy, picked up the script again, so the previous candidate Whitney Houston was naturally invited to audition.

"Bye..." After the audition, Whitney Houston asked her assistant to bring two of her CDs, signed them and gave them to Ronald and Costner.

Ronald took it in his hand and saw that it was the single of her new song "Tonight I'm Your Baby". In addition to the signature, there was also the song title written in marker.

This popular black singer actually knows the rules of the entertainment industry very well. Costner has the initiative in the project and has a lot of say in choosing which female singer to play. Ronald is a director that Costner respects, so she has to win him over.

"I think she's pretty good. This movie was written by Kasdan imitating Kurosawa's Yojimbo, which happens to be my favorite Kurosawa work. Isn't it a perfect match to have such a female singer with Japanese style?"

Kevin Costner seemed to like the singer very much, and they did have some chemistry during the audition. Anyway, the focus of the script is the conflict and love brought about by the identities of the tough guy and the singer. They are both top-notch in their respective categories, so it is not surprising that they have chemistry.

"You shouldn't ask me this question, Kevin. You are the star of the project..." Ronald replied with a smile. He had just taught Costner how to use his star as a bargaining chip to take the initiative in negotiations...

"I mean, do you want to direct this movie?" Costner asked.

"Why? Aren't you directing it yourself?" Ronald felt strange. With Kevin Costner's directing level, it was not difficult to shoot this kind of typical commercial genre film. At least it was much simpler than Dances with Wolves.

"I just feel like I still have a lot to learn from the masters..." Costner's words were sincere. After he unexpectedly won the Best Director award, he still felt the gap between himself and the top directors during his collaboration with Oliver Stone. Thinking of Ronald's experience directing him, he had new feelings.

Oliver Stone's films all have a strong personal temperament. A typical commercial film director like Ronald may be more suitable for me to learn from.

"Come on, I don't have the Best Director award yet?" Ronald was not happy. Although this was flattering, it was a bit strange coming from Costner. Moreover, Costner was very persistent when he was directing. If he were to direct him, who would he listen to in the end?

Ronald would rather direct a bigger star like Tom Cruise than Costner. Stars who have been directors always have more ideas...

"I have other projects on hand. Why don't you find a qualified director in the industry? It's up to you to decide how to shoot it." Ronald thought about it and rejected Costner.

"I need you to steer the ship for me at critical moments, Ronald. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be able to shoot those key parts of Dances with Wolves..." Costner still felt a little guilty about his overall control.

"How about this, can you also invest part of it? Neither you nor I are listed as directors, but you have to help me out with ideas at critical moments..."

On the other hand, Kevin Costner was a little unsure about negotiating new forms of cooperation with the studio. He wanted to use Ronald's reputation to gain more benefits for himself.

"That's no problem. I'm very optimistic about any movie starring you."

(End of this chapter)