Exploiting Hollywood 1980.

Chapter 1358 The big one is coming

"Yeah, I've always loved female characters in movies. The strong ones, both physically and mentally, smart, tough, my favorite TV show as a kid was Wonder Woman... I've tried to make movies with female characters at the center before, yes, like Working Girl... but A League of Their Own took it to a new level...

Yes, so many of the main characters are women, their work, challenges, lives, choices. Director Penny is one of the best directors I have ever seen who can present female characters. She is the best.

Yes, one of my favorite things about this movie is that all the characters are based on real people. I am very happy to bring this lost history to the screen.

I heard that women's baseball will be included in the official competition in the next Olympic Games. This is a very good attempt. Go, Team America! "

Ronald was smart enough to participate in several joint campaigns of the "Pink Alliance" and the "New Karate Kid". He was interviewed every time and praised the American women of the new era. Every time, there were some shots of him and two female Senate candidates appearing on TV and in newspapers.

"Hey, the box office numbers for this first weekend..."

Although the premiere was attended by two major female senator candidates from California, the box office revenue of the film in 1500 theaters nationwide during the first weekend was less than $ million, the worst opening performance in the Karate Kid series.

Weintraub was a little frustrated. He had originally wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to reboot the Karate Kid series, but such results ruined all plans for subsequent sequels.

Of course, the sequel of this series of movies is different from the first commercial movie that breaks ground. If it is the first episode, then the movie can be prepared to be released in a month.

However, The Karate Kid has a large and stable audience, two films with box office revenues of over 100 million yuan, and has long been on the list of teenagers' most popular videotapes in video rental stores, cultivating a large number of audiences who like Master Miyagi.

The biggest advantage of this new Karate Kid is that Morita Noriyuki is a perfect match for this role. He can now earn a lot of money by appearing in various karate activities and fan organizations. The audience just loves to watch him teach children with his simple Japanese English full of grammatical errors.

Weintraub consoled himself by saying he would look for other movie scripts that might be hits. Ronald did some calculations with his colleagues and concluded that this movie, combined with the overseas distribution contract and the expected revenue from the videotape, would hopefully pay off in about two years.

……

"Is the new movie's box office not good?" Diane asked Ronald, who was reading something at the table.

“Well, it’s not that it’s not good, it just didn’t meet expectations. Besides, not everyone can make a box office hit in every movie, not even Spielberg,” Ronald replied.

"I feel like you are. At least the movies you directed were all box office hits..."

"Ha, I hope it can last a little longer..."

Ronald has put aside the box office statistics and is now reading the reviews. This time, the reviews did not let go of the sequel, and many comments pointed out that the "King of Karate Kid" series is essentially still promoting violence.

Chris Wilman of the Los Angeles Times put it more humorously, saying that the Karate Kid's philosophy is what "Master Miyagi, who never uses articles" pointed out: don't fight unless you absolutely have to.

But the real underlying message of every movie in this series is: You always have to fight, so let the fighting begin!

This statement actually reveals the hypocrisy of the Hollywood industry. In order to cater to the consensus of some people, action movies have to use the slogan of fighting violence with violence, at least on the surface.

For example, in the first part of The Karate Kid, Master Miyagi tried his best to prevent Daniel from taking action, always saying that he would be beaten to death if he participated in a karate competition. In the end, he was forced into a corner and was forced to participate.

But starting with Ronald, to Weintraub, to every actor and crew member, everyone knew that only the last crane kick was the climax of the whole film. If you don't defeat the villain, how can the audience buy tickets?

However, many reviews of this new The Karate Kid still praised the performances of the two actors. Morita Noriyuki's relaxed and humorous performance still amazed the critics.

Another is newcomer Hilary Swank, who thinks her young protagonist goes from being such a convincing irritable teen that her parents might back off. Then she seems to blossom before your eyes and becomes a happy girl in the end. And when she does the action, she looks very energetic.

"Is it that action movies are not good, or that girls can't act in action movies?" Ronald scratched his head, confused. The performances of the two main actors were praised by film critics, but the box office was a huge failure.

Which reason is the main reason for the failure of this movie? It is related to the direction of Ronald's investment in movies in the future. However, a movie cannot rule out two possible reasons, so we have to continue to pay attention to it.

"Forget it. This movie is just for me and the potential senator lady to appear together..." Ronald put his worries aside and went over to entertain his son with Diane.

……

"Steven, is it convenient for me to come and see the production of your new film? I have other movie special effects here that need Van Fleet's approval. I'm worried that your film needs to be kept secret..."

"Come on, I'll show you something good."

The post-production special effects of Street Fighter encountered some technical problems. How to make the Qigong waves of several fighters need to be checked by his special effects director.

Van Vliet is currently busy working on Spielberg's "Jurassic Park". The filming of the movie has been completed, and overseas distribution and domestic marketing are about to begin. During this period, the main special effects personnel of Ronald and Cameron's company have been working overtime for this movie.

Ronald took the opportunity to watch the movie that Sheinberg called "Land Great White Shark" to see if it had the power to do what the great white shark did when it swept across the United States, opened up the summer season, and revived the declining film industry.

"Ronald, you're here just in time. Please help me see this scene..."

Spielberg was in a good mood because the filming of his Jurassic Park was on schedule and he would soon be able to free up to shoot the epic of Jewish suffering.

"Classic Jaws technique, I'm really looking forward to what's next..."

After passing a very strict entry procedure, Ronald saw some footage shot by Spielberg on the screen. This shot was a shot of the hero and heroine discovering something incredible in a jeep.

The protagonist Sam Neill has a special ability. He can open his eyes very wide, so wide that even behind his sunglasses, you can see his eyeballs with dilated pupils due to shock.

This is first-rate imagination for an actor facing a green screen used for special effects shooting.

The next shot is Sam Neill holding the heroine Laura Dern's head with his hand and turning her head to the left side of the jeep.

In comparison, Laura's eyes are much smaller, so she can't achieve that effect. She can only take off her sunglasses and open her mouth wide to act out the feeling of surprise. The effect is much worse than Sam Neill.

"I can't wait to see the big guy you arrange...", Ronald said with a smile.

"This time it's really big..." Spielberg also laughed. Directors in the industry all know his trick.

This technique of using the characters' surprised expressions to predict that the next shot is "big things are coming" is Spielberg's fingerprint editing method. In Jaws, he used surprised expressions to predict that the sharp teeth and bloody mouth of the killer shark were just around the corner.

I have to say that this technique is indeed effective if used well. In fact, the shot that suddenly appears and scares the audience may not necessarily achieve the best frightening effect. But if you predict that the next shot will be scary, the audience's attention will be tightly mobilized, and they will look in the direction of the protagonist's eyes, and the "big guy" you carefully shot will appear in the focus on the screen...

As expected, Spielberg exceeded Ronald's expectations, and his style of play has improved again. This time, instead of showing a shark's mouth all at once, he first showed the four legs of a giant herbivorous dinosaur from bottom to top, using two-thirds of the screen.

The entire screen can’t hold this giant beast. Is it bigger than the great white shark?

"Holy Shxt! This is fucking huge..."

Ronald opened his mouth wide, and the camera continued to move, then the huge body of the dinosaur, then slowly upwards, a long neck like a giraffe, and finally a snake-like head, with an open mouth, slowly using its tongue to roll up the tender leaves on the treetops and eat them.

"With the addition of John (Williams)'s score, this shot will be even more amazing..." Spielberg actually has a mischievous mentality. He likes to see directors like Ronald, who are also very successful in the industry, open their mouths wide, praise themselves while thinking about how to shoot.

"I'm definitely looking forward to it... It's going to blow the minds of boys all over the country, no, the world..."

Little Roger, the human cub in Ronald's family, has become interested in all kinds of toys, especially dinosaur toys, which seem to awaken something in the genes of all boys. They are his favorite toys, and he can't put them down once he starts playing, and he makes all kinds of biu biu sounds with his mouth...

Damn, who knows how much money Spielberg can make now. Just the licensing fees from selling dinosaur toys is a huge profit.

"Do you think it will be popular in East Asia?" The reason why Spielberg let Ronald see the finished special effects in advance was also to ask him to help expand the market. Everyone knows that when it comes to connections in East Asia, such as Japan, Hong Kong, and even the mainland, Ronald is the most profound in Hollywood.

"Holy Shxt..." Ronald looked at Spielberg deeply. He was going to make a fortune. Children like dinosaurs even before they can speak a few words. This is a love that transcends race, culture, language, and even gender.

No wonder Spielberg added so many camera languages. In fact, the lines in this movie are not very important. Not understanding them will not hinder your understanding of the general plot.

Ronald has already started to imagine the scene of parents rushing to buy dinosaur toys for their children next Christmas. This is simply a replica of the Transformers toys that were popular all over the United States.

Spielberg definitely did this on purpose...

"No problem, this is Hollywood's common mission..."

Ronald didn't say anything. Although he didn't get much money, only this kind of film that transcends race, language, and culture can break through various barriers and enter the film markets of countries around the world.

Although America has signed more or less open film agreements with various countries after the end of the Cold War, and films from both sides can be released in each other's domestic markets, agreements are agreements and markets are markets.

Only with a powerful movie like this can the barriers in the minds of the audience be broken down, making them marvel at the inaccuracies of Hollywood and the strength of industrialized blockbusters. Then, various commercial films that they are good at will have the possibility to make a living.

The market opening agreement only opens a door, a possibility. Real market opening must be opened and maintained by the enjoyment brought to the audience by one high-level commercial film after another.

Just like the American market is open to films from all over the world, no film from any country has become popular in theaters across the country or made a name for itself... Only Chinese-language action films have a few fixed audiences in the video tape market.

By the way, it’s also a movie that you can understand without the lines…

……

"Jim, have you seen that new Spielberg movie?"

"I didn't watch it. He recruited all the top special effects talents in Hollywood. I could only watch... I didn't want to watch..."

Cameron was a little angry that Spielberg monopolized Hollywood's computer special effects talent, so he had to take a long break from filming any movies.

"I suggest you check it out, it could be a whole new genre. His special effects work will be finished in a little while, and we can start preparing for film projects that have a similar approach to his big monster movie...

Yes, it’s hard for me to explain it clearly, you will understand when you watch it. I think everyone in Hollywood will be crazy about making this kind of movie. It depends on who will take the first step and lock in these special effects talents who have experienced such big projects...”

"Holy shxt!" Cameron didn't expect Ronald to say such a thing. His friend was always very accurate in predicting the audience's taste trends in the next few years. If it was true, he would start preparing immediately, first get the project ready and then recruit people. When the big monster movie is released, the audience will definitely want to see a similar big scene. Whoever grabs it first will be waiting to count the money...

……

"It's really amazing. I have already found Arnold (Schwarzenegger). He is about to join the crew to shoot a new action movie. I have already booked a schedule with him for the next movie..."

"Let's first confirm the schedules of Stan Winston and Van Fleet. That's more important..." Ronald also began to screen movie scripts. He wanted to get the upper hand.

"Hey, you said those special effects are more important than me? Although I also recognize their efforts, no one is more important than Arnold..." Schwarzenegger heard Ronald's words and immediately expressed his dissatisfaction.

"Hey, Arnold, you are the highest paid, no doubt." When Ronald heard that it was the big guy Schwarzenegger, he thought, your time may be over. A big guy like you, if you meet that big dinosaur guy, you will not be able to stand up to him.

"Hahaha, just kidding." Schwarzenegger laughed. "Jokes aside, I still have a favor to ask you. Can you authorize the use of your image in the movie for my new film? This is the first movie that I am in full control of..."

Schwarzenegger's salary has now risen to more than 15 million US dollars, plus various profit sharing and bonus clauses. He is now the real No. 1 action star in Hollywood, leaving Stallone far behind. Bruce Willis can't get so much unless he shoots the Die Hard series.

So he has now entered into film production and distribution. The new action film can be said to be a miracle in Hollywood, sweeping away all the successful action films of the past.

"What image? What image do I have?" Ronald didn't understand.

"It's the image of Thor in The Babysitter. I have already discussed it with Disney. If you agree, I will put your image in my new film. This is where the most famous action stars in Hollywood gather..."

"OK, then you can use it..." Ronald knew it was the kind of mutual quotations and cameo appearances in movies. As long as it was not too excessive, the seven major studios would generally give it a favor. This was for the overall prosperity.

After agreeing to let his lawyer and agent handle the details, Ronald hung up the phone and turned around to watch TV with Diane in his arms.

Today is the second presidential debate. This time, the questions will not be asked by various hosts. Instead, a collection of popular questions sent in by viewers across the country have been collected and selected, and representative ones have been chosen. Please ask the candidates to answer.

Everyone believes that this second debate is the most important and decisive one, because it is equivalent to communicating directly with voters.

(End of this chapter)