Exploiting Hollywood 1980.

Chapter 1326 Ronald's Secret to Selecting Movies
"Ronald, nice to see you again"

Shirley Lansing wore a bright red working girl suit, a diamond brooch, and a thin platinum necklace with a large diamond, which constantly stimulated Ronald's eyes.

"Hello, Ms. Lansing..." Ronald rubbed his eyes.

Not only was she "radiant," but Sherry Lansing had obviously had her lips plumped up and her typical Jewish nose reshaped. If she were still pursuing a lucrative career as an actress, Ronald would tell her that you're old enough to play a mother, so don't do these kinds of surgeries that will be obvious on camera and try to stay in the role of a girl.

Plus, Shirley Lansing's accent has changed a lot. She used to have a central Chicago accent, but now she speaks like a "Valley Girl". I don't know what this woman is thinking. Maybe the old men at Paramount like this tone?
"I heard from Kevin (Hu Wen, her agent) that you have what you want..." If Shirley Lansing has made any progress in the field of independent production in the past few years, it is that she has realized that not everyone is interested in her beauty, especially young people like Ronald. It is best to speak frankly.

"Yes, I want this...", Ronald handed over a note.

"Winston Groom's satirical novel? I heard that Warner Bros. has given up on it and put it into rotation? The previous Rain Man has already exhausted the audience potential of this type of subject matter... Uh, I'm talking too much. If I get this position, I will definitely try my best..."

"It's not about trying my best. I must get this script. It has nothing to do with the box office. It's my personal preference..." Ronald interrupted the other party's formulaic statement.

"OK, I don't think it's too difficult. I have a good relationship with Terry Trammell of Warner Bros., but why don't you ask them yourself?"

Ronald shrugged and thought, if I could buy it, would I bother talking to you?
"It's my problem," Shirley Lansing zipped her mouth, thinking it must be a personal grudge. Many people in Hollywood don't view movies as a pure business.

Some directors and producers, even though they know that a movie has no potential at the box office, will still make a certain movie just to fulfill their dreams. Thinking of this, she glanced at Ronald. Some people, because of some trivial things, feel disrespected and refuse to cooperate with certain people, and it is common to hold back until the most suitable candidate dies.

"Speaking of box office, if it weren't for some hobby of yours, how would you consider whether to film a certain script?" Shirley Lansing turned the topic back to the exam she was about to take.

"This is nothing but the same old stuff, Shirley. You're also a producer, you understand. The star is the most important thing. The script needs to get the star's commitment, and then it can be matched with a suitable director, supporting actors, technical team, etc., not the other way around."

Ronald first told some common sense in the industry, and then he was shocked to find that Shirley Lansing actually wrote it down in a small leather notebook:

"The star is number one..."

"This..." Ronald was full of doubt. Could this woman just be following Stanley Jaffe and doing some administrative work? Didn't she do any decision-making work on those successful film projects? Even if she was following Jaffe and learning from him, she wouldn't know nothing, right?
"Well, what else? I watched your previous movies before I came here, and I found that you have a special eye for selecting scripts, better than any Hollywood producer I know. Do you have any secrets here?"

Shirley Lansing really doesn't really understand the choices of Hollywood producers. She has always been Stanley Jaffe's assistant, responsible for implementing Jaffe's decisions. She spends more time on distribution and marketing. Sometimes she doesn't know if she wants to reminisce the feeling of filming TV series.

Lansing also appeared on several interviews with Barbie Wygant, a rare occurrence in the producer community, as most producers would not reserve precious screen time for themselves but for the stars of the show.

"Ah..." Ronald sighed in his heart. He overestimated this person's ability. He had made some preparations before coming here. Now it seems that it is difficult for Shirley Lansing to understand those things. It is better to talk about something simple.

"Ahem, actually I don't know what movie box office success is. Maybe I'm just particularly lucky. I have two criteria for choosing scripts..." Ronald raised two fingers.

"Oh?" Shirley Lansing leaned forward, her whole body mobilized, waiting for Ronald to tell her his "secret".

"Ahem..." Ronald waited there for several seconds and felt a little stiff. Why didn't this woman understand his conditions yet?
"Oh, don't worry. When I become the president of Paramount Pictures, I will immediately communicate with Warner Bros. and buy the script. However, I also have a condition... You have to keep the distribution contract with Paramount..."

Shirley Lansing is not stupid. At least she is good at reading people's expressions.

"There's no need to be so anxious. They are not willing to sell it to me. Just follow normal business operations..." Ronald touched his chin. Warner Bros. were very disapproving of him. If they knew that I was involved or noticed something wrong, this deal would be ruined again.

"I understand. I will do a good job of this. How to make them feel that they are begging me and not make this script too conspicuous? These office matters are what I am best at..."

Ronald then retracted one of his fingers. Although Lansing didn't understand movies, he knew how to get what he wanted in the world of big studios dominated by old men. So he didn't keep the secret any longer and told him the "secret" he had specially prepared.

"I only look for two things in a script. As long as there is one, I think the script is of good quality and worth a try. If there are both, then if it can be matched with the right director and actors, there is a chance of a box office success..."

Shirley Lansing's motionless, focused gaze on Ronald's mouth was a profound insight.

"First, I will find a protagonist that you want to cheer for..."

"Like Tess in Working Girl? The idol of all young American women?" Shirley Lansing blurted out.

"Well, it's not necessarily like that. It's not all cute and positive. Think about the Lone Ranger in Top Gun or Johnny in Dirty Dancing. These people may have flaws, and you may not necessarily like them particularly, but they have those exciting qualities, and you can applaud and cheer for them..."

……

"These are all extremely valuable secrets. I don't know how to thank you...ah, the script adapted from the novel is not enough to repay you. I recently produced a movie, which is my last work before joining Paramount. Do you want to be a nominal executive producer? After I join, Paramount will distribute the film..."

Ten minutes later, after hearing the precious "secrets for selecting films", Shirley Lansing was almost moved to tears. She had been Stanley Jaffe's partner for so many years, but she had never heard such a simple and useful "secret".

I have devoted so much time, energy, and beauty to Stanley Jaffe, who already has a family, but I still cannot learn as much as a young man who only makes simple and reasonable requests. Why didn't I meet such a good person when I was young?

"Is there such a good thing?" Ronald asked Lansing to give the filmed movie to his colleagues in Daydream. Shirley Lansing is an interesting person. Although she doesn't have a deep understanding of the film industry, she has a deep understanding of how to repay her partners.

Ronald helped her simply because he wanted her to help him get the script and help Tom Cruise sign a distribution contract, so that his foundation in Hollywood would be more solid.

But Lansing knew that this kind of cooperation had its flaws, that is, the lack of mutual trust between the two parties. So she took the initiative to use the power that she had not yet become the president of Paramount Pictures to exercise, and first took out her own privately produced movies as a benefit that could be redeemed immediately.

Anyway, if she becomes the CEO, participating in this movie will definitely bring her fame and fortune. If she fails, then all the cooperation today will be in vain. It must be said that she is very good at doing business.

……

"Shxt, how could anyone make a movie like this? I don't want to be listed as an executive producer..."

But Ronald immediately regretted it. In his daydream, he and Michelle Cannold watched the copy that Shirley Lansing had sent them. The movie was called "School Ties", which really made people feel like their brains were about to explode.

Look at the plot, a Jewish student is awarded a football quarterback scholarship and enters a prep school, hanging out with a bunch of elite white students, but he still has to keep a huge secret, which is that he is Jewish.

What kind of idiotic plot is this? Do Jews still have the right to be discriminated against now? This is not before the 1950s. Oh, by the way, this movie is about the 1950s... Then who the hell wants to watch it?

"Hey, Ronald, have you watched the movie "School Rush"? Are you still watching it? How was it? Doesn't it perfectly meet your two secrets? I decided to invest in this movie because it is very similar to your "Dirty Dancing". Yes, yes, this movie is very popular in the Jewish circle in Hollywood. I think it will be a big hit, and those lovely male protagonists will become the new Brad Gang..."

Before going to the second round of interviews, Shirley Lansing called Ronald to ask for a reward.

"The Jewish community is very popular?" Ronald thought to himself when he heard this. Why not invest a little and become an executive producer? Spending a little money can win praise from the Jewish community. This is also a good way to crack the Jewish alliance and resist the hostility of some Jews who hold him accountable for their opinions of their ethnic group.

"To be honest, these actors are really good. I think their acting skills are much better than those of Brad Gang back then..."

Michelle Cannold told Ronald that he had watched more than 20 minutes of the movie when Ronald went to answer the phone. The movie had many teenage characters, and their acting skills were all OK, much better than the so-called Brad Gang ten years ago. At least it could be seen that they had received good theatrical performance training.

Ronald smiled at the "Brad Gang", a name that has not been mentioned for a long time. This group of young actors started with Coppola's "The Brats", and later performed in Joel Schumacher's "St. Elmo's Fire" and John Hughes' "The Breakfast Club". They swept the American pop culture at that time, but in the end, few of them came out, and most of them were mediocre.

He sat down and continued to watch the movie. Michelle Cannold was right. These young people born around 1970 did have much better acting skills and understanding of movies than Braddock. People from the 1970s acting in a 1950s youth drama had no flaws at all, at least he couldn't see any.

This at least shows that these actors are well educated and can understand the atmosphere of discrimination against Jews in mainstream society in the 1950s. Unlike the Brad Gang, most of them can only act based on instinct, and if they deviate slightly from their background, their acting will be confusing.

"It's really good. Pay attention to the subtitles. What are these people's names? They are very good seedlings..." Ronald didn't want to watch it anymore. The efforts of the actors and director were ruined by the inappropriate script.

"Okay, Ronald..." Michelle Cannold quickly opened the brochure, which listed the main actors of the film, Brendan Fraser, Matt Damon, Chris O'Donnell, Ben Affleck... he wrote them down one by one.

"By the way..." Michelle Cannold heard some rumors and felt a little jealous. After hesitating for a while, he asked, "I heard that you have some secrets for selecting films?"

"Hahaha, that's the old routine for Shirley Lansing..." Ronald thought to himself and had to explain it to Cannold, "...just these two points, these are all general things. When Shirley Lansing watched this movie, she must have been very excited, and it also perfectly met these two points, but what's the use? The mainstream audience didn't feel anything about it at all, she just moved herself..."

"Hahaha..." Michelle Cannold was relieved. If there really was a secret, then it was impossible for boss Ronald not to tell him first. The premise for this "secret" to work is that your aesthetic taste is consistent with the general aesthetic taste of the American audience. Otherwise, the movies you choose are just in line with your own preferences. Most people who disappeared after becoming successful in Hollywood did so because their aesthetic tastes were different from those of the general public after they became successful...

……

"The most important thing for the box office is the role, the star, and the best director. This packaging policy is the basis for guaranteeing the box office, but it is our packaging, not the packaging imposed on us by Ovitz. Also, some scripts with small investments can also make profits, but those cannot use stars as the leading actors. We have to distinguish between the two types of scripts and adopt different marketing strategies depending on whether there are stars involved... For example, my current independently produced campus storm..." Shirley Lansing talked freely to the second round of interviews composed of several old men...

"Ms. Lansing, your discussion of Paramount's production strategy is very consistent with our needs, but the essence of strategy is to select the right movies. What do you think about this?"

Pleased with her answer, Martin Davis, chairman of Paramount's parent company, personally asked an important question, which also represented the final test.

“If I’ve learned anything from working with these great artists, it’s that I’ve always believed that the script is the foundation of a good movie. And I’ve always looked for two things in a script that would make it a good movie and two things that would make it a great hit.

First……"

"Very good, I feel that what you said makes a lot of sense. So what about the second one?" Martin Davis had never had such an experience when chatting with people in Hollywood. A beautiful woman could explain those complicated things in just a few words, and it was paired with the best-selling movies in Paramount's history. Everything was in line with it...

"Second, watching a movie is not a passive experience. You have to have a huge emotional investment. So I will look for such moving plots in the script. The Silence of the Lambs makes you terrified, Wall Street makes you sigh, Vietnam War movies make you depressed..." Shirley Lansing used a clenched fist gesture to emphasize the point of her expression.

"You really are a wise man..." Martin Davis happily ended the interview and shook hands with Shirley Lansing.

"How do you feel?" he asked Stanley Jaffe, Shirley Lansing's longtime partner, nearby.

"To be honest, it far exceeded my expectations. It seems that Shirley has made rapid progress in the past two years." Stanley Jaffe did not expect that Shirley Lansing could summarize it so well.

"Yes, Yes..." Shirley Lansing received a call from her old partner Jaffe and knew that she had performed well. She happily patted her husband William Friedkin, whom she had married not long ago.

Ronald's two points are quite useful. Although I have done the same thing before, none of them are as simple and easy to understand as his summary. This ability is not possessed by ordinary directors. Most people are long-winded and unable to explain clearly in project meetings.

Looking at her husband William Friedkin, who was also a member of the New Hollywood movement and now no longer makes big-budget movies, Shirley Lansing sighed: No wonder, the director's strength lies in telling stories with audio-visual language, and this language ability is actually more important for producers.

Soon, Shirley Lansing was designated as the president and CEO of Paramount Pictures. She also entered Paramount in advance as vice president of production to take charge of the work. While waiting for the handover, the negotiations between Cruise/Wagner Pictures and Paramount were instantly accelerated.

(End of this chapter)