Exploiting Hollywood 1980.

Chapter 163 Is there a problem in the middle?
Richard sent Ronald back to the hotel and drove away by himself.

Ronald always felt that this matter was a bit unreliable. As a young screenwriter with wet ears, even if his script was well written, it would not be possible for the script he wrote to have the influence of shocking the Oscar queen.

The film and television industry is very particular about connections and seniority, and many producers don't know why one movie will be a hit while another similar movie will not.Most people still judge your future worth based on your past history of success.

Unless your script is nominated for an Oscar, that's still possible.

But as a small screenwriter that no one knows, even if Ovitz brags, there is no need for him.

Ronald didn't think there was anything Ovitz could covet in himself, so he simply called a friend to ask.

Call Eddie Cohn, his New York advertising agent.

"Have you ever heard a joke, Ronald?"

"What joke?"

"How do you marry the daughter of a Standard Oil director?"

"You just tell the director of Standard Oil that you want to marry her daughter, and that you are the vice president of the World Bank. Then you say that your father-in-law is a director of Standard Oil, and that you are applying for the position of vice president of the World Bank."

Ronald laughed, "What do you mean, Ovitz is the young man applying for a job? Take my script and tell Jane Fonda that the studio has taken a fancy to the script and asked her to act in it, and then tell the studio Jane Fonda wants to shoot the script, ask them to get investment?"

"Almost? Maybe Ovitz has stronger contacts, or a deeper insight into the industry, but I don't know." Eddie replied.

"Is it possible that Ovitz took a fancy to my script, and then pitched it to Jane Fonda, and then pitched it to the studio after Jane Fonda nodded? As he said to me, the screenwriter Priority strategy." Ronald asked again.

"Ronnie. So which answer do you want me to tell you?"

"Hahahaha..." Ronald ended the call with a big laugh.

I am also concerned about the chaos, the script has the opportunity to be starred by the actress, sometimes I can't think calmly.

Calls to Michelle Pfeiffer were never answered.She simply called her agent Limato and told his secretary that she had come to Hollywood to discuss the script with CAA.

After waiting for a long time, Limato finally called back, saying that Pfeiffer was meeting someone from Lux these two days, and the two sides might soon negotiate a contract. If Ronald could wait until the day after tomorrow, he would be free to meet.

Ronald had nothing to do in the afternoon and evening, so he called Gail, the assistant president of New World, and asked her to meet at night to catch up.Then Jim Cameron was called, and the three of them ordered a few cocktails and a few bottles of beer in the hotel lounge, chatting while drinking.

Cameron's copycat exploit "Clash of the Stars," which featured special effects and model photography, has been edited and will be released in September.

"This is a piece of rubbish, following the trend of Star Wars, the so-called 200 million budget, most of which were paid to the two big-name protagonists, and very little money was used for special effects. I stole a few McDonald's dinner plates to make spaceships Interior decoration."

Cameron was still quick to talk, complaining a lot about Roger Coleman's stingy strategy.

"So the movie didn't work well?"

"My job is to make this piece of garbage less glaring." Cameron held the mouth of the beer bottle with three fingers and poured the rest of the beer into his mouth. "The final effect should be good, not that bad. I think Many ways."

"Let's talk about your fame all over the world. I saw that the cinema has already released it?" Gail turned the topic to Ronald.

"Yes, the box office is mediocre. With a production budget of 800 million, it was released on a small scale at the beginning. I heard from the producer that the box office in North America is only less than 2000 million. The cost of copy rental is probably not paid back."

"It seems like everybody's starting to count gross box office now instead of copy rental fees?" Gale, beside Roger Corman, is sensitive to these commercial matters.

"I heard people from the TV station say that now the film review programs are broadcast live on TV. The audience doesn't understand the meaning of the copy rental fee, so they directly report the total box office of the week, which makes the director and producer very nervous, for fear that the numbers will not be good. Affected the subsequent box office attendance."

"Yeah, a lot of people now watch that PBS movie review show, bald and glasses." Ronald replied.

"Hahaha, do you have nicknames for them?"

After chatting about the past, Ronald told the story of his script being recommended to Jane Fonda and asked two friends for advice.

"The thing is like this. I always feel that there is something wrong with this matter, but I can't find the problem, so please help me think about it. Am I worrying too much?"

"It's hard to say, it might be true." Gail took a small sip of his cocktail, "In Hollywood, the real big money is the male star, if two or three consecutive movies are hits, the studio can often Offer a sky-high price of $200 million, please."

"The female star's salary is much less. Even if you are like Jane Fonda, two movies in a row are blockbusters, and you are nominated for an Oscar, you can only get a salary of 100 million at most. In short, there is sexism in Hollywood. .”

"Comparatively speaking, among the male and female stars that you see in the media with similar exposure, it is better to get in touch with female stars, and they have higher requirements for scripts. When they see a script they like, they will pay to buy it. It’s not out of the question to have a chat with the writer.”

"If it's Ryan O'Neill or Stallone, I think there's probably something wrong with this matter. If it's Jane, there's still hope."

Gail is relatively familiar with the inside story of Hollywood, "And Jane Fonda may remember that you belittled the deer hunter on TV, and helped her win the favor of the Oscar queen, and maybe she supported you."

"Hahahaha..." Cameron laughed.

Ronald had no choice but to agree with the smile.

"What do you think, Jim?"

"It's very simple, just go. If it's a lie, you'll beat up that agent. If it's true, then you can ask Jane Fonda out. Don't think too much, Ronnie."

"Hahaha……"

Now Ronald laughed from the bottom of his heart.

Indeed, it's useless to think too much. I don't have any bargaining chips in my hands. I'll just see the situation tomorrow.

"So are you going to do special effects in New World next?" Ronald asked Cameron.

"No, Roger won't spend money on special effects films." Cameron shook his head.

"Why?" Ronald expressed his incomprehension, "Isn't he optimistic about the box office of Clash of the Stars?"

"No, Clash of the Stars is very special. Before shooting, he sold the overseas rights to Orion Pictures, an upstart in the industry. It is said that it is enough to cover the shooting cost of 200 million."

"Now he's talking to HBO about selling TV rights, and the deal should be close to $100 million," Gail added.

"Then why didn't Roger continue?"

Gail explained to Ronald:
"The good time has passed, whether it is Orion or HBO, they are entering new markets and enriching their film libraries.

The founders of Orion are several high-level executives who were fired by United Artists. They started with Love at Sunset Bridge, and the films they made were well received. Now they want to enter the distribution business.

And HBO is scheduled to become a 24-hour pay TV station next year, and Roger needs to order a batch of films to play as a base before he has the opportunity to sell at a high price.

Afterwards, it is based on strength. Only a movie with an outstanding box office in theaters can have a chance to sell overseas copyrights or TV station copyrights.

Coupled with the recent strike, Roger's new film plans have all been stopped. "

"Hey, this unlucky strike." Ronald also lamented that he could go one step further and become the first assistant director of the endless love crew.

"Then what do you do, Jim?"

"Me?" replied, drinking Ronald's new beer, "I'm going to work on the special effects project for John Carpenter's new film Escape from New York, and his film is also low-budget. , but also to achieve the effect of the plane crashing into the twin towers of the World Trade Center on the screen, after seeing my performance in the battle of the stars, he called and invited me to come over."

"Congratulations, Jim. Cheers!" Ronald quickly raised his beer bottle and toasted his old friend.

……

"cheers!"

Meanwhile, CAA president Michael Ovitz and Columbia Pictures president Frank Price were exchanging champagne.

For the first time since taking office, Price was in such a good mood.

Before he came to Columbia Pictures, he worked for Universal Television Network.He has made remarkable achievements in his tenure, launching the blockbuster sci-fi TV series "Battlestar Galactica" and the criminal investigation TV series "Columbo", two trump cards.

But after taking office at Columbia Pictures, he was tied up everywhere.The middle-level managers all discriminated against him for being born in the TV industry, and his will could not be implemented in many projects.

And Columbia has only enough working capital for six months. He urgently needs to master some resources in the film industry to organize his own film projects. As long as there is a blockbuster film, his authority in the new position can be established. Beat those disobedient subordinates hard.

The financing guarantee for film projects is star actors and star directors.Both are with industry veterans William Morris (WMA) and International Innovation Management (ICM), where Price doesn't have much clout.

WMA and ICM have cost him a few times, and his projects have all lagged behind other old-relationship studios, so that no film under Price's own control has yet started.

Only Michael Ovitz, who was sitting across from him, represented CAA, a new player in the industry. Like himself, he urgently needed to make achievements in order to gain the right to speak.

"So how much are you offering Jane Fonda for?"

"400 million," Ovitz gestured, "There are no war scenes in this movie. The biggest explosion scene is a grenade, and a large part of the scene is the emotional scene between the hero and heroine, so Jane Fonda is interested."

"Too expensive." Price shook his hand.

"Jane Fonda is my client. According to the rules, I will work with her to inquire about prices from all interested parties in the eight studios." Ovitz approached Price with a glass of wine, and said in a low voice, " Your result is obviously higher than that of your peers, so I can guarantee that you will get Jane as the heroine."

"350 million. No matter how high it is, I won't be able to approve it. It needs to be discussed at the management meeting."

"Just 350 million, plus Sean Connery will be given the leading role in a Columbia-funded movie."

"Okay, just so 'Wrong Is Right' needs a 007-esque protagonist. Deal?" Price asked Ovitz, raising his glass.

"Frank, give Jane another unprecedented salary, 200 million."

"You must be joking, Michael." Frank Price was unhappy, "This will destroy the tacit understanding of the price of the eight majors, and it is difficult for me to do it."

"But what you want is big news, isn't it? Mr. Price doesn't need that pile of rubbish in Columbia, and he can call in an Oscar queen to make a big production. It's a win-win thing, Frank, you think about it."

"Okay," Price mused for a moment, "but you've got to make sure I get the project and don't let other studios steal it."

"Don't worry, I'm a professional. 'My Brother's Protector' is yours. I never lie."

Ovitz raised his glass to pay tribute to Mr. Columbia President.

(End of this chapter)